1	Overture
2	Decypher
3	Death Technology
4	Prospect of Immortality
5	Transcendence
6	Perpetual Motion
7	Conjuring the Egoist
8	Game of Souls
9	Mindscape
10	Flux Divergence

Cryptosis

Bionic Swarm

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Genre: Extreme Symphonic Metal.
Released: 26/03/2021
Via Century Media

Album Review: Cryptosis – Bionic Swarm

Cryptosis are here with their debut album ‘Bionic Swarm’ which promises to be a unique take on the metal scene as we know it. Releasing via Century Media, the band have managed to gain a significant following with their single ‘Prospect of Immortality’ already amassing over 20,000 streams. It’s been a long time coming so here is what I thought about Cryptosis’ Bionic Swarm.

The album opens with a sci-fi esc metal instrumental that sets the mood quite well. It’s a short track that leads swiftly onto ‘Decypher’. A fast-paced track dominated by heavy bass drums and impressive melodic licks. Marco Prij is a huge driving force behind the kit while Laurens Houvast’s guitar playing is rivalled by his unique vocal delivery. The song comes across as a mix of Thrash and Extreme metal with its own sci-fi twist. A really cool start to the album that gets right to the point and creates a distinguished sound for Cryptosis.

It’s clear to see that the band are wasting little time getting into it as ‘Death Technology’ is one hell of a song. The high energy track features some of the best riffs on the entire album. The backing vocals provided by Frank te Riet make parts of the song feel larger than life with the accompaniment of ferocious licks throughout once again. Following that is the albums stand out single ‘Prospect Of Immortality’. The song boasts a simple yet highly effective beat that will have any metalhead headbanging along to. Not to mention the slower, Heavier guitar playing really hits hard in this one. It’s clear to see why this song has been such a fan favourite.

‘Transcendence’ is a rapid song that has its highs and lows. The sheer speed of the tremolos during this song is something to behold however the song itself feels flat and lacks the punch that is featured on many of the other songs on the album. The change in momentum doesn’t receive any favours as the song fades into another instrumental piece titled ‘Perpetual Motion’. The ambience feels somewhat canny and the robotic-sounding voice sounds very generic and uninspired.

Luckily, ‘Conjuring the Egoist’ is a really strong song. A circle pits dream is probably the best way to describe this one. Fast guitars and even faster drumming is always a good time and Laurens vocal performance is full of grit and power that elevates the song to a height that nothing before it had hit. That’s certainly one way of getting the album back on track! The momentum created by ‘Conjuring the Egoist’ continues throughout ‘Game of Souls’. The song is musically impressive and is a great example of each member of the band’s ability on their desired instruments. Everything works well with each other and nothing comes across as half-hearted or dull.

The penultimate song ‘Mindscape’ is a unique one. This song’s use of slower, almost black metal like riffs accompanied by rapid sections of pure aggression makes for a pleasant listening experience. It’s far from what I had come to expect of the band however they pull of the change in style very well and leaves no doubt in my mind that this band are going to have a wide array of styles in the future. ‘Flux Divergence’ has the honour of closing out the album and by god, it does it well. A return to the fast, thrashy style the majority of the album follows, the band put them all into this one. A track full of memorable moments from killer fills to enchanting licks certainly is one way to finish your debut album.

An ambitious sound accompanied by 3 even more ambitious people makes for one hell of an album. The album does have its downs however the majority of the record can hold its own with some tracks having great potential to catapult Cryptosis into the highest unknown. This album is certainly worth a listen if you’re a fan of more sci-fi esc genres or if your just a fan of fast as hell tracks!