This is the debut album from Cryptivore, a one-man Australian death metal band.
Across 27 minutes the artist behind Cryptivore hammers into us his vision for old-school death metal. Taking influence from early Amorphis, Carcass, and Grave, Celestial Extinction is a mix of brutal Swedish death metal, moody melodic death metal, and feral grindcore.
The album is catchier than you might imagine. The riffs and melodies stick in your head as they batter it ferociously. The songs are well-written and demonstrate a keen understanding of the style. The riffs hit hard, and the brief duration of the tracks allows them to get in fast, cause mayhem, and then get out. I like the guitar tone a lot, and the death growls are deep and pleasing. Macabre melody and doom atmosphere are both capably used, especially for songs that don’t have long running times.
I don’t really have too much to say about an album like this to be honest; it’s just solid, well-executed, old-school death metal that knows its style well, and does what it does very effectively. I like Cryptivore, and this is a collection of songs definitely worth checking out if you’re partial to the style.
Celestial Extinction is heavy, filthy, and very enjoyable. If you have a soft spot for old-school death metal, then look no further than Cryptivore for your next fix of the good stuff.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 