This is the third album from US doom metal band Crypt Sermon.
If you haven’t encountered Crypt Sermon before, the promo blurb recommends them for fans of Candlemass, Khemmis, Visigoth, Eternal Champion, King Diamond, and Solitude Aeternus, which should give you a decent idea of what to expect on Stygian Rose. Across 45 minutes Crypt Sermon deliver the goods in epic style. Continue reading “Crypt Sermon – The Stygian Rose (Review)”
Straight off this is easily identifiable as Old-School Death Metal from these US bruisers. All of the trademark signatures are in place – fans of Obituary, Bolt Thrower and more modern war-themed bands like Hail of Bullets should feel right at home here.
This is mainly, (but not always), mid-paced and takes no prisoners. The feeling of an endless battlefield covered in the corpses of countless forgotten enemies pervades this release, as does the feeling of belonging to an earlier age of Metal. This is Old-School to the core with an even Older-School album cover.
This kind of retro-Death Metal can sound stale if handled incorrectly, but Trenchrot know their weapons and pick only the best and most destructive from the armoury. Clearly passionate about what they do, I can’t help but get swept along with the Death Metal mayhem contained within Necronomic Warfare – the heavy, thick tone of the guitars; the agonised, hoarse, barkings of the singer as he rallies the troops for another offensive; the firm pounding of the drums that lead the willing to war; the wailing, emphatic solos that inspire and rouse. It’s all very stirring.
A thoroughly enjoyable release perfect for charging headstrong into the melee. A snapshot of a time when being Death Metal was enough, and no add-ons or exaggerations to the sound were needed.
As the band say themselves –
“TrenchRot make music within the stricture of two rules:
1. Play Death Metal
2. Crush posers”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Wonderbox Metal 