Crypta

Echoes of the Soul

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Genre: Death Metal.
Released: 11/06/2021
Via Napalm Records

Album Review: Crypta – Echoes of the Soul

Crypta is here with their debut album titled ‘Echoes Of The Soul’. The album has generated quite a bit of fanfare since being announced and fans of the all-female death metal group have been more than pleased with what they have heard already. When I found out about this band I was instantly curious to see what they had to offer so without further adieu, here is my review of Crypta’s ‘Echoes Of The Soul’.

Completely burying the conception that women can’t get heavy, this album is jam-packed with brutal riffs and gnarly gutturals. Tracks such as ‘Possessed’ and ‘Shadow Within’ highlight the band’s blackened influences while delivering a unique blend of death metal. The inclusion of black metal esc riffs allows the band to feel different and it makes for a much more adventurous listening experience. 

Crypta is not afraid to deliver more ambient tracks which are showcased in tracks like ‘Under The Black Wings’ and ‘Dark Night Of The Soul’. These songs do a great job of painting the band in a sinister light. The mix of heaviness with atmosphere generates real scenes of evil around the album which, in favour, gives the band a more recognisable sound. 

Unfortunately, the album isn’t without flaws and ‘Death Arcaana’ and ‘Kali’ are the two tracks I would steer clear of. I found them to just be levels below the rest of the album which leaves a stane on the whole record for me. ‘Death Arcana’ in particular had me wanting to completely skip the track on repeat listens. 

On a brighter note, when Crypta picks up the pace, they shine! ‘Starvation’ kicks the album off with a bombardment of brutal proportions and ‘From The Ashes’ finishes you off with a constant assault of blast beats and riffs. I personally think Crypta are at their best on these breakneck tracks and I instantly became obsessed with these two songs. 

The album as a whole is decent and it shows that Crypta is full of potential. The bad is far outweighed by the good on this release with a few of these tracks already leaving a lasting impression on me. I highly recommend checking this album out when you get the chance and urge you to keep Crypta on your radar.