Review by Carl on September 1, 2024.

Because I liked Cryptivore's full-length well enough, I decided to check a bit further into the band's history, only finding just this one demo. Because these are usually hard to find if there is a physical copy to begin with (being the pretentious arse I am, I don't do digital), and if you're unlucky, expensive to get a hold of. The Cryptivore demo has seen quite a few reissues by this time, but the version I'm reviewing here has a couple of extra tracks, so I'm definitely going with this one!

In style, Cryptivore plays a pretty straightforward form of old-school death metal, keeping a firm middle ground between old-school Swedeath and late 80's/early 90's death metal/grindcore. I get a very Dismember/Entombed feeling from the riffage on use, but for the most part, I have the impression that a lot of influence comes from stuff like early Grave, Necrony, and the first albums by Therion and Carbonized, with a certain Defecation and "Mentally Murdered" era Napalm Death feel being not too far away either. The songs are kept compact yet varied, establishing an urgent and energetic feel throughout. The music is riff-based for sure (one might almost be able to hum along, as it were), and is underpinned by a variety of thrash beats and blasting velocity to give the material a lot of drive. The guitar sound is thick and heavy with just enough Swedeath bite to it to make it crunchy as fuck, without veering off into Boss HM-2 copycat territory, which I can totally appreciate. Completing the old school vibe are the deep growling vocals delivering the lines in a suitably gruff way, while some subtle guitar harmonics add short melodic touches to the whole, like in a track such as "Abhorrent Vivisection". It's nothing the average death metal aficionado hasn't heard before, but it gets the job done in a way decent fashion, going in as smooth as a cold glass of orange juice on a hot summer day.

The production is decent for most parts, with the guitar sound being pretty damn neat as mentioned, but there is a bit of a hair in the butter, though. As is the case with a lot of one-man outfits, the drums are of the programmed kind, and yeah, it shows. The patterns are good, laying a solid base for the music, but they sound so plastic and sterile here, it's as if the percussion is handled by a robot that somehow developed an ass with a stick in it. As a whole, it isn't a disaster or anything, but once I heard it, there was no way of unhearing this. It's a small snag on a further solid and certainly compact offering of old-school death that deserves to be heard.

This is a decent demo that manages to push a fair few of the right buttons with me, with it being absolutely on point in both material and execution. Just as with most demos, there is always that bit of room for improvement, and Cryptivore certainly did that on their debut full-length. If you haven't yet, go check that out and then complete the picture with this demo. It may not reinvent the wheel, but it's solid stuff worthy the attention, for sure.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 19, 2022.

How long does the motto "more of the same" work? The answer of the Ramones would be 20 years and then you die. But quite apart from the personal tragedies of the band members - I miss them all, Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy - and the legends about their allegedly monotonous album, they kept an eye on a certain diversity. The same applies for bands with a similar reputation, AC/DC, Motörhead (R.I.P., Lemmy) and Status Quo. Yet Rob Darken explores the outermost limit of persistence in a merciless way. Or did he already cross the border between persistence and unimaginativeness? He definitely found his style with Immortal Pride and Creed Of Iron, maybe even earlier. The new version of Memory And Destiny aside, Thunderbolts Of The Gods completes the first dozen of full-lengths. With regard to this amazing amount of albums and more than a handful of similarly constructed EPs, splits and so on, it is hardly possible to be blown away by a new album of Darken. Feel free to describe the songs on this album as predictable.

Nevertheless, I can see no necessity for Thunderbolts Of The Gods to hang its head in shame. The stylish artwork and booklet form the adequate package for the equally elegant musical content. Everything is the same as always. Excessive song patterns, female background choirs, melodic or fairly harsh lines, occasionally rumbling drums and the raw voice of Darken shape the soundtrack for our next school trip to Valhalla. Get up early so that you do not miss the bus, because Graveland are still able to offer good tunes. The title track finds the right balance between atmospheric parts and more valiant sections. Its lyrics deal with overwhelming spectacles of nature ("Red fire filled the sky / The land and sea trembled / Then rose the ocean high in the heavens"). Without question, Darken has still a weakness for dramatic scenarios. Although tunes like 'Chamber Of Wicked Tears' or 'Red Polaris' need a warm-up period, Darken delivers reliably. Without reaching for the stars, he manages his well known approach in a more or less masterly manner. (While looking at the big picture, the feeble outro can be neglected.) Too bad that he does not add some new facets to his pretty static composition formula.

If one still appreciates Darken's realization of Wagnerian aesthetics, there are no reasons to skip Thunderbolts Of The Gods. The different atmospheres - majestic and heroic, combative and resolute, ritualistic and dramatic - cover the entire range of epic emotions and despite the overlong configuration of the tracks, there are occasionally some dynamic moments. Furthermore, the adequate production puts the tunes in the right light, although I miss some suddenly screaming guitars which make clear that I am listening to a heavy metal album. Yet this is rather a question of the musical approach than of the technical implementation. I don't know how long Graveland will be able to walk their way without integrating new inspirations and influences. Nonetheless, one thing is certain. The Ramones play their three chords in heaven now, but I still enjoy "Blitzkrieg Bop" or "Rockaway Beach". The spiritual father (or great-grandfather) of Graveland, Richard Wagner, is - surprise, surprise - dead, too. He died in Venice in February 1883, but his music is still alive. If Darken's compositions will resonate for a comparable period, we know the musical preference of a great part of music consumers of the 23rd century. Frankly speaking, I'm in doubt about it.

Rating: 6.9 out of 10