In closing I'll say this: if it turns out I missed the memo that my opinion is completely wrong and Cryptopsy are a legitimate deathcore band now, then as far as I'm concerned they're still among the elite in their genre, and it will be a long time before anyone eclipses them. Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives Message board FAQ Search Register Login Bands you used to hate, but now like Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3. Now, the next thing that really kills me as a Cryptopsy fan is to hear Flo being merely above average. So, basically, The Unspoken King is a piece of shit. This is easily the most bizarre case of "selloutitis" I've ever witnessed, only being second to Nocturnal Rites' far fall from grace at about this exact same time last year, with a once respectable Death Metal band ditching a large portion of their Deathy influences in favor for a quasi-modern songwriting style that does nothing but give me a migraine. The snare sound is somewhere between drum machine and dustbin lid. 04. The Unspoken King is the most maligned in Cryptopsy's extensive discography for the simple fact that it was Cryptopsy tapping into the trends of the day, and this is not rightfully so at all. That is not an exaggeration. The poor attempt at deathcore isn't really the main problem, though. Label Code: LC 06975. Their earlier albums had a few things going for them, and the whole tech-death metal thing is fine in and of itself, but they just didn't wholly interest me or draw me in. I may as well review it properly. As I listen to The Unspoken King I can’t help but chuckle at how obvious it should have been that this disastrous shift in sound was on its way. Speaking of those vocals, lets discuss those in more detail since that's what most of everyone is complaining about. Bemoan the Martyr is the first track with major use of clean vocals. With The Unspoken King, I was half hoping Lord Worm’s voice would magically revert to the mastery heard on None So Vile and maybe, just maybe, we’d have another worthwhile Cryptopsy album. Worship Your Demons honestly sounds like it was lifted directly from a Job for a Cowboy album. This adds even more melody and "easy listening" sections to the album. The main difference here is simply how, well... simple the riffs generally are. Instead of providing an appealing change in dynamics for the music, each of the many breakdowns, often accompanied by distorted spoken vocals (no doubt to add to the "diversity" of this "epic art"), gradually begins to wear on the listener. Fortunately the keyboards are practically unnoticeable. Its really not even a growl, just a weird lower fat, pudgy, scream really. The music itself is quite a departure from what Cryptopsy normally does. Every element of Matt McGachy's voice is terrible, but it is true that the cleans are quite exceptionally bad, easily his worst anti-asset. And again, a laughable display of failure is here. This is a creative Twilight Zone, in a way, not being creative in a good way, yet not being uncreative or unoriginal enough to warrant cries of "clone of (BAND XYZ)!!!1!" The clean vocals parrot the same tendencies of the rest of the music and don’t have any structure or symmetry unless you take into account that the whole section is repeated once or twice later on. Yes, there's a serious lack of legit tech-death riffing, the complicated, nearly inhuman nature which older Cryptopsy albums excelled at, and things are much more simplified than before, but the riffing and harmonic guitar leads, as they are, are still rather interesting in their own little way, far more intense than your average breakdowners and offering more in the way of creative ideas and rapid-fire time signature changes (if fewer than before). Consistent glad-handing would cause someone to partake in that which is put on so high a pedestal, but for some folk (this reviewer included), being universally shat on would make us cock our heads to the side and wonder "It can't be THAT bad! It's very difficult to think of her as anything more than 'window dressing', as in the aforementioned shit act Bleeding Through. Add into that the fun Ungentle Exhumation EP and one of my favorite live albums with the underrated Martin Lacroix and you have a wildly varied discography that leaves you waiting after every song for what's next. Mr. Avoid at all costs. And to be honest? I wish I could leave it at that but for your enjoyment and my own love of getting paid/masochism, I’ll review the whole thing. In 2008, Cryptopsy released their first album after Lord Worm quit for good. Matt McGachy has a good voice for nice screams, but he can't growl worth crap. Truly, Maggie Durand isn't so much a waste of talent as she is just a waste of space and a one-time seat on the tour bus considering the utter lack of distinguishable synth lines all throughout the record. He seems to rely more on the inhale technique, which is a commonality in deathcore. The entire effect is so utterly half-assed and thrown together that it is surprising. The problem is really the riffs. If they could've utilized her properly *cue jokes*, she could've been an interesting addition that may have been the breath of fresh air that Cryptopsy needed. But the problems run much deeper than those. But the most puzzling part is that this still kind of sounds like Cryptopsy in places, most noticeably in Flo Mournier's drumming, still the same winding hurricane of brutality that it always was (although extremely simplified now, the feeling is still there). Thankfully, the use of keyboards is sparse on the album, seldom used to add atmosphere in suitable segments. Almost a lazy attempt at selling out, there's no real attempt to be catchy and make things enjoyable and sugary for the first time listener; instead the band just forces its' formula (which in CF's case was getting quite tired at that point) into the style of music that's popular at the time. - Europe: May 26th There are no good riffs or melodies on here at all, but if you took away the vocals, you'd be left with something that sounds like an uninspired shell of what we all love the band for in the first place. His death metal voice is high and resembles the recent trend of death core bands. While purely anecdotal evidence, I, myself, living in one of the USA's most massive and trendsetting metalcore markets, heard a lot more about Cryptopsy from the 'core kids than the bedraggled death metal minority. Let's find us some examples. The Unspoken King is an affront to the Canadian music scene, death metal, and music in general. I am fortunate enough to be ignorant as to what exactly defines “deathcore”. The solo in "Leach" is probably the most impressive out of the lot, although for me, it rivals "Resurgence of an Empire" for the top spot. How were they not laughing at how stupid sounding the vocals are? After releasing the band's final album with on-and-off vocalist Lord Worm entitled "Once Was Not" in 2005, the Canadian death metallers would return in 2008 with this controversial affair. 1. The trepidation felt by many for this album is understandable; after all, it's a complete 180-degree turn from everything we've come to know and expect. I couldn't even make it one full paragraph. On, The Unspoken King though, even the drumming has been sacrificed. He is certainly very different than the famed Lord Worm or Mike DiSalvo in terms of both the sound and execution of his vocals. One good thing that has happened is Maggie Durand. This brings me to my first problem with this record. She has sections in songs like "Leach", "Resurgence of an Empire", "Silence the Tyrants", and "Contemplate Regicide". The bass sounds mallcorish, and there are nearly zero solos on the record. I don't think he is an amazing vocalist and his performance here is subpar in comparison to what he would do with the band's following self-titled album, where he would drop all clean vocals. Genres: Deathcore. If Helloween would've released Obscura, would it still have such a ridiculously high score? Solos aren't a necessity, but when the music is this boring and/or bad, a little break like that is appreciated. The drumming is also top notch, with Flo having ditched none of his crazily speedy blast beats, giving this album a real feel of intensity that was missing from every album they have done since None So Vile. The guitars are completely devoid of any memorability- go on, name one riff from this album. At best she'll be delivering well below the volume of the other instruments, some single note atmospheric pad or sampled texture. It seems like the guitarists got lazy, probably because they couldn't keep from laughing at McGachy's vocals. 0. Also, Flo Mounier's signature lightning speed drumming is still there in spades, particularly on songs such as "Worship Your Demons", "The Headsmen" and "Anoint the Dead". Although they never really disbanded, their releases at the end of the 2000's were ranging from decent/forgettable (Once Was Not) to awful (The Unspoken King), but their released over the 2010's have been very consistent and good, especially with the 2 EPs, The Book of Suffering I, … Leach and Silence The Tyrants are the best evidence of this. Next up to the plate is Mr. Songwriting. Really not a lot going on musically in any of these sections. Then it immediately becomes a bit suspect when the vocalist demonstrates his ability at singing fast - which is minimal at best. The Unspoken King, an Album by Cryptopsy. If they kick out Matt and get a much better singer, have no pointless add ons e.g. The Headsmen actually has a few enjoyable parts, but it's one of the VERY rare occasions. Album opener Worship Your Demons immediately displays that Cryptopsy have lost none of the edge that albums such as None So Vile had, with its ultra technical guitar work that is up there with the best, and the vocal work is breathtaking. 0. And again, the solos are good, and the drumming is still good, just not the percussion orgasm we know. Now onto the second problem with this album. Pretty much the only aspects of The Unspoken King which don't disappoint are: a) the cover artwork by Jeik Dion, which is quite atmospheric and by that token has nothing whatsoever to do with the music; and b) the lead guitars, in general well composed and gleaming far above and beyond the vocals or rhythm sections. Most of the rest of the music on here, with a couple of exceptions, follow one of these two models, though incorporating guitar solos and fun bass interludes to lighten the blow a little. Who are Cryptopsy trying to appeal to here? For the days after I caught this leak, I was unsure as to how to review it, I could A) review it normally, marking it in a truly strict sense, or B) cut off a few points and display my disgust in the band for creating this... abomination. It screams a medieval theme, from the title, to all the song names, to the kingly vocal harmonies found in the latter half of the album. Although most of the guitar solos are relatively short and reserved in comparison to what normally appears on a technical death metal album, they avoid the pointless 8 second note filler sound of JFAC and actually stick in your head. Now we can add a new item to our never-ending list of criteria: What persuaded Cryptopsy to write this music? I agree, the clean singing is out of place and does not belong in this band. Whatever you'd expect from a deathcore band; clanky typewriter bass drums, heavily saturated guitar sounds that tend to have this weird phasing quality that makes it sound a little like you miked up the guitar cab with a paper towel roll thing attached to it, (I'm not trying to be harsh, that's just what it sounds like to me) bass is super trebly and quiet in the mix. But then again, I'm not going to compliment a complete dickhead for being really good at kicking me in the balls. It's poppy and full of short, ridiculously catchy songs. Really though, all they had to do was copy old Cryptopsy albums. As far as the individual works go, picking a worst song can prove to be a bit difficult, as there is a healthy variety of terrible ideas guising as songs. Worship Your Demons. 1. Is it because she's a brilliant keyboardist? This album is definitely an easier listen than their prior releases. The very dry and anodyne sound of this passionless release causes the uninspired riffs to blend together and provide little or no interest, the bass is seemingly geared towards adding weight to their sick jungle stomps rather than providing anything musically appealing. "The Unspoken King" is actually a very well-executed deathcore album. She plays for a total of roughly 20 seconds on the whole album, yet they have her upfront for most of the marketing photos. 195 likes. There are reasons I listen to Cryptopsy, and then there are reasons I don't listen to deathcore. Don’t spend money on this or you’ll encourage it to continue, like subsidizing clean needles for heroine users increasing the lifespan of people who see no real point in living. Instead you get long double bass sections with Flo trying to do as much as possible, but still sounding like your standard rhythm keeper. I listen to Cryptopsy (albeit not as often as most fans seems to) for the hyperblasting intensity, vile yet indecipherable lyrics, Lord Worm's frenzied and frankly terrifying growls and shrieks, the unnecessary and foolish yet bizarrely entertaining bass breaks, and Flo's absolute kit mastery. However, all of that is tolerable compared to the complete shit show MaGachy calls singing. … After these points are removed, he is then slapped in the face for incessantly adding vocals to almost every second of this damn album. Skip towards the end of the song "Bemoan The Martyr" before it ends, there's this part with lots of blast beats, right before it concludes with the clean singing part. What goes on in Area 51? Instead of opting for their traditional death metal sound driven by technicality, the dudes decided to move into a more metalcore-influenced take on death metal. 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