Cryptic Crown – Weapons (2019)
Cryptic Crown is an independent death metal band that has been pounding away for their fans since 2012. The band includes Dennis (vocals, bass), Zimbo (guitar), Joschko (guitar) and Jocelyn (drums). They have been playing live since 2013 and working on their first album Weapons since 2017. It was finally finished and released at the end of 2019.
Weapons is a showing of the ugly side of society. The album takes on the evils and bad things that the human soul is able to create. Each track takes on a different facet of this.
The album starts on a heavy note with ‘Crystal Meth’. The track has a punishing beat to it with melodic guitars thrown into the mix. The vocals are hard and deep while describing how someone is basically rotting from the inside out due to crystal meth use.
‘Black Pearl of Death’ has a heavier beat to it while keeping the driving guitars. This track gets your head banging to the beat and the heart pumping. There is a possessive vibe to this track that keeps you hooked. The vocals work perfectly with the melody and are really enjoyable to listen to.
‘Black Soul’ has a lighter opening, but this turns into something very dark. The lyrics of this track are a bit scary, but mostly in the way that you know that they are a true reflection of some people. While this track as a darkness to it, there is a thread of justification which is wonderfully portrayed in the vocals.
‘They Come To Kill’ has a lot of tension in the track which starts building with the guitar work in the opening. There is an ominous presence in this track that makes you want to look over your shoulder for something coming. The lyrics of this song are very evocative and clearly paint a picture.
‘Lightbringer’ has this amazing beat to it that does not stop. This track has a bit more aggression to it than some of the others. The lyrics continue to show the ugly side of life looking at corruption and the drive for more power. There is this guitar thread later in the track that is such a great addition and adds a little something to it.
‘Nuclear Apocalypse’ hits like a bomb from the first notes. This track is all about the destruction of humankind through nuclear war. The lyrics create the nuclear winter landscape and the unending loss of hope. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album, not only for the message, but the captivating way it is delivered.
The next and title track is ‘Weapons’ that draws you in with some wonderful guitar lines. These guitars continue throughout the song adding these amazing notes to the aggressive melody. The lyrics look at how people feel powerful when they have weapons like guns.
‘Into The Endless Void’ has a hard-driving beat with ferocious drums from the very start. There are some changes in the melody throughout the track, but it keeps the dark energy this album is soaked in. This song strangely has a motivating vibe to it as it makes you want to avoid the endless void.
‘War’ uses drums to mimic the dropping of bombs in the opening to great effect. This leads perfectly to the lyrics and vocals that look at the horrors of war and its devastation. There is a momentum in this track that really gets you pumped up.
‘Cravalera’ sounds different to the other tracks on the album, particularly at the start. However, the driving beat of the album returns with the harsh vocals. There is an undertone of anxiety to this track that makes you feel like something is trying to desperately get out.
‘Next Trip’ continues the heavy pace of the album. The guitar on this track swings between punishing and lighter to draw you along the song. There is something captivating about this track that makes it stand out on the album. There is a great interplay between the melody and the vocals.
The last track on the album is ‘Demon Plague’ which wastes no time in getting to the meaty flesh of the track. There is a forceful drive to this song that really gets the heart rate up while punching through you. This is one of the longer tracks on the album, but you don’t realise it as it ensnares you from start to finish.
Cryptic Crown shines a light on the ugly underbelly of society and the human soul in Weapons. The album is full of punishing guitars, aggressive beats and forceful vocals. Each song pumps you up and makes you want to turn up the volume.
Find out more about Cryptic Crown on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
