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CRYPTDWELLER
Aeon Void

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 7.5/10

After being battered by the utter frenzy of the recent Ulthar albums, the second full-length outing from South Carolina deathsters Cryptdweller is quite comforting. Not to be confused with Oregon’s one-man assault Crypt Dweller, this combo plays a gnashing style of death metal in the vein of some of its mid-to-late 90s peers.

Chunky riffs and percussion, a juggernaut bass, flashes of doominess and a vocal froth, Aeon Void is somewhat moreish death metal that’s quite easy to infiltrate as tracks such as ‘Choirs Of Agony’ and ‘Unrelenting Dead’ lumber in oafish fashion while sparked by a cosmic dissonance at times which means that the sound never fully drips into old school mode. Instead, we are blasted by an almost grandiose statement whereby the guys are happy to chug with a crushing intensity (‘Pocotaligo’), or speed things up to devastating effect (‘Carousel Of Pain’).

It’s certainly not generic death metal, but there is a familiarity to its rancour, and the fiery, belching aesthetics mean that at whichever pace it chooses Cryptdweller remains a salivating, bloodthirsty beast. And yet within those heated folds are icy contours and esoteric shades to provide extra uneasiness.

Neil Arnold

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