Image Credit: Estevam Romera
No Sophomore Slump Here
Crypta has released some of the best death metal singles of the past five years in “Lord of Ruins”, “Trial of Traitors”, and “The Other Side of Anger”. I absolutely believe that to be true.
Consisting of Fernanda Lira on vocals and bass, Luana Dametto on drums, Tainá Bergamaschi on lead guitar, and newcomer Jéssica di Falchi also on lead guitar, this group has quickly risen to prominence with their new release “Shades of Sorrow”.
Crypta’s debut record “Echoes of the Soul” in 2021 was a fantastic display of death thrash influence. Shades of Sorrow provides an undeniable level of growth and maturity in sound.
Track-By-Track
It comes in ripping from the very start as the intro interlude “The Aftermath” leads into “Dark Clouds” with a scream from the depths from Fernanda. In fact, you can tell right from the beginning of this track that Fernanda’s vocal delivery has improved as she alternates between high-pitch screams and low-pitch growls. The solo here has to be my favorite on the album as it begins out of transition with a blast of energy. The only negative with this track is the lackluster closing that concludes the barnburner with a slow drum fadeout.
Next up is “Poisonous Apathy”. This is where the black metal influences really start to kick in. You can hear the tremolo riffing immediately. This song is much slower compared to the rest of the album and that’s a good thing as it displays the level of songwriting Crypta has already reached. It has a mellow vibe that compliments each instrument beautifully in my mind.
“The Outsider” gives the listener a taste of what I believe is the primary foundation of this album as it showcases the best of both worlds in the energetic and slow pace both packed into one track. Fernanda’s screams and Luana’s drumming play off each other very well here and are a particular highlight of the song too.
“Stronghold” has such a badass intro that I could listen to it on repeat for a while. Luana’s drums are at the forefront in this intro and combine excellently with the guitar to kick off the hype.
As the song reaches a melodic middle point, the bass becomes very apparent and hard to ignore all the way to the end.
Easily the best song for my money on the album. Probably the most melodic as well.
My second favorite song, “The Other Side of Anger” immediately comes after, creating the best stretch of the track listing. The third single that Crypta released leading up to Shades of Sorrow has such a fantastic groove and flow to it that makes headbanging and foot-tapping easy actions.
Before I talk about the album’s back half, let me just say one thing. The intro interlude was absolutely fine, but we should do away with the other interlude and the closing. They don’t add anything to the album and are merely breaks in the action that do not need to be there.
Anyways, the interlude “The Limbo” leads into “Trial of Traitors”, a fantastic track full of catchy elements including the pre-chorus, chorus, and the most singable verses on the album. When Fernanda screams “Burn! Burn! Burn her! No mercy for her sins!”, it’s as if she is screaming on the brink of death. That’s how intense it is.
The last three tracks including “Lullaby for the Forsaken”, “Agents of Chaos”, and “Lift the Blindfold” really all start to blend together in terms of structure and sound(not that this is a bad thing). Each of these tracks allows the listener to just vibe with the sound. It all leads to the epic closer “Lord of Ruins”(excluding the last track “The Closure”).
“Lord of Ruins” is where the black metal and old-school 90s death metal influences shine in all their glory. The blend between modern and past death metal is so apparent here and it’s quite immaculate and seamless. This song even employs a breakdown at the end that reminds me of Pantera’s “Domination” breakdown.
Conclusion & Rating
All in all, Crypta brings a wealth of content and variety to the table with Shades of Sorrow. The level of growth from their debut album is incredible.
I can’t wait to see what this band does next in the death metal scene and I hope they continue to blow up even more in popularity.
Normally, I would not provide a rating as it feels disrespectful to the artist(s) to judge their work as a so-called ‘critic’ who didn’t even help create the art. But I have to here. This is the best traditional death metal album of 2023 so far.
Final Rating: 9.5/10
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