out now: Crypts of Despair -- death/black metal from Lithuania

Crypts of Despair

All Light Swallowed

Transcending Obscurity Records

April 23rd, 2021

Effort matters. Seriousness of purpose matters. The Lithuanian band's second album exudes that dedication to making death metal a serious, not a funny, musical expression. This is more like death metal that the black metal fanatic can appreciate. The purpose, stubborn will comes across in the music rather well. The vocals are, in part, low undecipherable growling, and also a higher growl that could be called death or black metal. The guitar rhythms often work as a death metal foundation, or if not as foundation, then as a bottom layer upon which they add some black metal infusions and a pinch of dissonance, enough to be noticeable, but not so much as to be distracting. The band seems very aware of what they seek, as if they want to eliminate the weakness of death metal (generic growling, generic guitar work, certain unserious type of lyrics, cartoonish imagery) and the weaknesses of black metal (production; annoying shrieking; certain emo things; some dungeon synth comical stuff) and combine the strengths: the muscle and punching power of death metal, with the devotion and singlemindedness of purpose of strong black metal. While it is true that it might be not death enough or not black enough for some, it is right there on target for extreme metal that aims for quality. Crypts of Despair is obscurantist metal in search of rabid fanatics. Invitation is extended.

All Light Swallowed (Death Metal) by CRYPTS OF DESPAIR (Lithuania)