Review by Alex on November 6, 2018.

I swear, had it not been for me browsing through Metallum:The Metal Archives (I love this site) latest band additions I probably would have never discovered something so beautiful; and the chances of it showing up in my YouTube feed is extremely high given the band is new and the bigger issue being the nonsense swimming in the YouTube search engine. Cult of Salem!!, firstly what an awesome name for a death metal band, secondly and more importantly, how in the fuck are you guys so talented? This had to have been in the making for at least 5 years; the level of intelligence behind the musical compositions is staggering. I saw the name I slanted my head in curiosity, I clicked on the band link saw the name of their debut album, clicked on that, slanted my head again in suspicion then visited Bandcamp. HOLY FUCKING SHIT!, I'm bedazzled, stunned, intrigued, impressed, immersed and in a state of confusion as to exactly what has trampled through my ears.

This is symphonic/melodic doom/death metal played with a confidence that I have yet to experience since Draconian's Arcane Rain Fell and Abyssic's A Winter's Tale. Unhallowed Rites puts to shame the loads of shite that has been coming out from major labels where this specific genre is concerned. Passionate growling are kissed by strong male clean singing vocals, on a production that punts the guitars and drums through the raw surface of the earth. These 38 minutes pass you by so quickly that you wish the music on Unhallowed Rites had never ended. With so many bands in metal piggy backing off each others sound, lyrical concepts and image you tend to feel exhausted by the overwhelming lack of originality which often leads to a diminishing show of interest in this glorious genre of music we know as metal. Its bands like Cult of Salem that spring hope in an over-crowded, abused scene of mediocrity and arrogance. This is the sort of thing that compels so many passionate enthusiast of the genre to go seeking new bands, because you can never be sure when that one ray of sunlight will peep from behind the cloudy uninspired shadows of not just bands within metal but music as a whole. What we have here is a record that sounds as though it was conceived by a veteran band; for a debut this is stunning, it's what many bands try and fail to achieve in their career as musicians.

'Rise from Thy Grave' greets you upon uncovering the tomb. This track mesmerizing in every sense musically; contrast displayed proudly and proficiently in terms of tempo, vocals and rhythm. It is a continuous building of passion; with every stone placed you can feel the weight of the passion being expressed in the musical tone. Emotions range from frustration, to anger to sadness and desperation. Each emotion is represented on this opening track and hence-forth. The vocal delivery and versatility is the highlight on every song featured on Unhallowed Rites. The clean singing from the onset has a fierce level of confidence, commitment and command. The growls and snarls are of the same attributes; they challenge each other as though at loggerheads over who will be the victor after this journey of portraying what was seen in the afterlife before being revived. You're left in awe at the end of 'Rise from Thy Grave' and in restless pondering of what lies beyond the surface of the introduction. 'Death and Decay' is a firm hand of doom metal being pressed into the music to ensure the atmosphere matches the lyrical content of the record. Atmosphere is something that Cult of Salem accomplishes exceptionally well, the unified manner in which the instruments, vocals and production are put together on 'Anthem to an Outer God' gives the record a deeper more serious air of feelings when expanding on the themes surrounding Unhallowed Rites.

The one element of the album that is most luminous are the different vocal styles used and clean singing. They both carry with them a passionate cry and yearning during the tale. Those vocals reek of wisdom, the kind of wisdom one would come to expect from one that has experienced such an ordeal of succumbing and returning to give an account of the journey beyond the ethereal boundaries. Each vocal note is delivered with a level of precision and passion that the listener almost believes the visions gifted through the music. 'I Saw The Devil' and 'Voice from Below' are such amazing pieces that words would fail shamefully to chronicle. I've listened to the two songs many times; and with each encounter I find more passion seeping through each lyric and instrumental note. It is surreal that a record of such magnitude in terms of vigor actually exists and comes from a band that has no prior releases. Unhallowed Rites cascades like a stream of honey, it is an inescapable journey that will conjure many thoughts and perspectives whilst towing the listener throw the waves of wane.

Cries of the yearning/Fragments of a broken and burdened spirit:

• 'Rise From Thy Grave'
• 'Death and Decay'
• 'Anthem to an Outer God'
• 'I Saw the Devil'

 Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 6, 2018.

I swear, had it not been for me browsing through Metallum:The Metal Archives (I love this site) latest band additions I probably would have never discovered something so beautiful; and the chances of it showing up in my YouTube feed is extremely high given the band is new and the bigger issue being the nonsense swimming in the YouTube search engine. Cult of Salem!!, firstly what an awesome name for a death metal band, secondly and more importantly, how in the fuck are you guys so talented? This had to have been in the making for at least 5 years; the level of intelligence behind the musical compositions is staggering. I saw the name I slanted my head in curiosity, I clicked on the band link saw the name of their debut album, clicked on that, slanted my head again in suspicion then visited Bandcamp. HOLY FUCKING SHIT!, I'm bedazzled, stunned, intrigued, impressed, immersed and in a state of confusion as to exactly what has trampled through my ears.

This is symphonic/melodic doom/death metal played with a confidence that I have yet to experience since Draconian's Arcane Rain Fell and Abyssic's A Winter's Tale. Unhallowed Rites puts to shame the loads of shite that has been coming out from major labels where this specific genre is concerned. Passionate growling are kissed by strong male clean singing vocals, on a production that punts the guitars and drums through the raw surface of the earth. These 38 minutes pass you by so quickly that you wish the music on Unhallowed Rites had never ended. With so many bands in metal piggy backing off each others sound, lyrical concepts and image you tend to feel exhausted by the overwhelming lack of originality which often leads to a diminishing show of interest in this glorious genre of music we know as metal. Its bands like Cult of Salem that spring hope in an over-crowded, abused scene of mediocrity and arrogance. This is the sort of thing that compels so many passionate enthusiast of the genre to go seeking new bands, because you can never be sure when that one ray of sunlight will peep from behind the cloudy uninspired shadows of not just bands within metal but music as a whole. What we have here is a record that sounds as though it was conceived by a veteran band; for a debut this is stunning, it's what many bands try and fail to achieve in their career as musicians.

'Rise from Thy Grave' greets you upon uncovering the tomb. This track mesmerizing in every sense musically; contrast displayed proudly and proficiently in terms of tempo, vocals and rhythm. It is a continuous building of passion; with every stone placed you can feel the weight of the passion being expressed in the musical tone. Emotions range from frustration, to anger to sadness and desperation. Each emotion is represented on this opening track and hence-forth. The vocal delivery and versatility is the highlight on every song featured on Unhallowed Rites. The clean singing from the onset has a fierce level of confidence, commitment and command. The growls and snarls are of the same attributes; they challenge each other as though at loggerheads over who will be the victor after this journey of portraying what was seen in the afterlife before being revived. You're left in awe at the end of 'Rise from Thy Grave' and in restless pondering of what lies beyond the surface of the introduction. 'Death and Decay' is a firm hand of doom metal being pressed into the music to ensure the atmosphere matches the lyrical content of the record. Atmosphere is something that Cult of Salem accomplishes exceptionally well, the unified manner in which the instruments, vocals and production are put together on 'Anthem to an Outer God' gives the record a deeper more serious air of feelings when expanding on the themes surrounding Unhallowed Rites.

The one element of the album that is most luminous are the different vocal styles used and clean singing. They both carry with them a passionate cry and yearning during the tale. Those vocals reek of wisdom, the kind of wisdom one would come to expect from one that has experienced such an ordeal of succumbing and returning to give an account of the journey beyond the ethereal boundaries. Each vocal note is delivered with a level of precision and passion that the listener almost believes the visions gifted through the music. 'I Saw The Devil' and 'Voice from Below' are such amazing pieces that words would fail shamefully to chronicle. I've listened to the two songs many times; and with each encounter I find more passion seeping through each lyric and instrumental note. It is surreal that a record of such magnitude in terms of vigor actually exists and comes from a band that has no prior releases. Unhallowed Rites cascades like a stream of honey, it is an inescapable journey that will conjure many thoughts and perspectives whilst towing the listener throw the waves of wane.

Cries of the yearning/Fragments of a broken and burdened spirit:

• 'Rise From Thy Grave'
• 'Death and Decay'
• 'Anthem to an Outer God'
• 'I Saw the Devil'

 Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 11, 2018.

Krypts revealed itself to me by chance as I was browsing the internet one evening. I don't remember what I was seeking at the time but I do recall the feeling of hearing Unending Degradation for the first time and being awed by the immensity of its sound-scape. Immediately after enveloping myself in the misshaped yet marvelous crypt of Krypts. Unending Degradation I sought out more from the band, and to my elated surprise, Remnants of Expansion was made available via Bandcamp to delve into. What Krypts did with Remnants of Expansion was take the doom elements of Unending Degradation and expand on it (pun intended). Imagine a world in which possibility is boundless and is overlooked by a looming body of ancient matter organizing and dismantling life forms when required. Remnants of Expansion takes the listener from earth to a realm beyond the cosmos, somewhere shattered by the hands of time but still manages to exist independently whilst repairing itself, whilst expanding its reach in an attempt to swallow everything it makes contact with during the process of extension and proliferation.

Krypts has a very ominous sound to their music and on Remnants of Expansion we see the band place more depth into an already abysmal form of composition. The opening track “Arrow of Entropy” is so heavy that my bass speakers actually shook the pictures and ornaments in my home. Some of the ornaments almost fell from the cabinet and walls as I was listening to the song. It’s such a loudly mixed and penetrating album that once it begins to play you can feel the bass from the speakers worming through your body. Why not just lower the volume one? one might ask; because “All Men Play on 10”. The title track is such a killer interlude that it should have been full song instead, such a killer track how the distorted guitars lead into that creepy melodic section; man Krypts are fucking amazing, they know how to get the atmosphere right. “Entrailed to the breaking Wheel” is a scoop of the darkest most laborious piece of cosmic matter that they just throw in your direction carelessly after such a malicious interval. It delivers the message easily and sets up the tone for the final dose of incomprehensible matter in the form of “Transfixed”. It's an excellent closure to the crepuscular custom witnessed. Here Krypts picks up the speed in a headbanging fury. The album is only 31 minutes in length nut possessed enough give satisfaction to any listener.

Compared to Unending Degradation which was more death metal than doom; here the music leans unremittingly towards the doom and that’s a good thing in my books. After hearing the 2013 release I felt as though they would be more effective if it was brought forward. That album was more groovy and only hinted at doom metal when presented. Unexpectedly Krypts decided to go in that desired direction with Remnants of Expansion which in turn resulted in a more vigorous and comprehensive release than the previous, which was not bad by any means, it just showcased the bands potential to a point of needed implementation. I'm happy to own Remnants of Expansion on 12’’ vinyl, its a release that every death/doom connoisseur needs to have, its essential listening. I hope a new record is in the works or even completed at the time of writing this review. Remnants of Expansion is a solid piece of work but there seems to be much more Krypts are capable of doing with this doom/death metal style. They have their feet firmly planted on the soil of the genre; their next crushing step is highly anticipated to the point of growing impatience.

Fragments of the bolide:

• "Arrow of Entropy"
• "The Withering Titan"
• "Transfixed"

Rating: 8 out of 10