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CRYPTORIUM
Descent Into Lunacy

Personal / Iron Fortress (2024)
Rating: 8/10

With a drummer who sounds like he’s beating someone to death with a dustbin lid, Cryptorium are the latest bunch of death metal ghouls to puke forth a debut full-length album. This trio formed just two years ago out of the stinking pits of Sweden’s darkest corners, and armed with zombiefied cover art they now trudge miserably through fetid muck, coughing up eight no frills prime cuts of ghastly death metal.

Admittedly, I was hesitant to wade through the depths of horror here, thinking that maybe this was going to be just another HM-2 stale Stockholm mimic, but instead the album exudes a manky air that is sure to clog the filters of your eardrums. It’s also worth noting the punky flavour throughout the record too as the likes of ‘Inner Decay’ boast an almost upbeat backbeat beyond the expected grimness.

Much of the feel here is raw, with echoes of some of the more primitive Swedish death metal demos (Nihilist) but with an extra layer of filth. At the other end of the spectrum Cryptorium throws in a bucket of sickly stodge with the gloomy leakage of ‘Mournful Dawn’, a real standout for me due to its vile lethargy. I also like the fact that the three members share vocal duties, not that they are greatly different from one another but it does bring variation.

All the tracks on offer are strong, with some boasting that archetypal early-to-mid 90s blustery guitar tone, but all instil a sense of dread. However, if you also like a lot of the newer, gore-drenched bands doing the rounds then you’ll also find much to savour here, particularly in the grotesque rushes of the title track. Meanwhile, the likes of ‘Void Of Life’ run like a squalid mix of Autopsy, Bolt Thrower and blackened death.

Another particular track I enjoyed is ‘Horrid Exultation’, as again I refer to the clamour of Albin Holgersson’s percussion; first the beat is rhythmic and then savage in its pace. Opener ‘Incarcerated’ boasts a similar raw energy led by the mucky vocals. Descent Into Lunacy is a very solid start for Cryptorium and long may they continue to fester.

Neil Arnold

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