Review by Luka on March 8, 2002.

There has never been an album that so finely and clearly sums up the evolution of a band's sound. After three strong, distinct works with their most successful line-up ever, it was a real challenge for Megadeth to choose where to go next. For the last seven years they walked a tightrope of thrash, heavy, and melodic metal that had just the right chemistry to keep the fans interested. So what's next, the lightning fast thrash sound of "Rust and Peace", the heavy, face-pounding approach of "Countdown to Extinction", or the moderate, melodic sound of "Youthanasia". The answer is simple, three equal parts of each!

Let's start with the real stuff, who would have ever thought Dave Mustaine would go back to the "Rust in Peace" sound after seven years. 'FFF', 'Vortex', the Maiden-esque 'She-Wolf', and 'The Disintegrators' are the choice tracks on "Cryptic Writings" that are worth the whole album! Speed and energy returning to Megadeth was like the pull of the massive switch that brought Frankenstein back to life: Megadeth's resurrection! Generally placed near the end of the album, these songs unleash their pent-up fury once the listener has already been half tranquilized by the mellow tracks, giving the best effect.

Now to skip forward in time to "Countdown to Extinction", probably Megadeth's most popular and memorable album. Borrowing its sound are 'Mastermind', 'Sin', 'Secret Place', 'Have Cool Will Travel', and are, much like most of "Countdown...", mediocre songs at best. There is the groove, the flow, the heaviness, sure, but not much more. Closely eluding the mediocrity is the complicated and interesting song 'Sin', one of my favorites on the album.

On to the melodic era of Megadeth with the four tunes from the "Youthanasia" breed. It's not surprising that, along with 'Use the Man' and 'I'll Get Even', it's from this batch they plucked the singles 'Trust' and 'Almost Honest'-which I can confidently label as the worst song in Megadeth's history. The most mainstream and radio-friendly, I can't help but cringe at these songs that don't even stand up to the quality of "Youthanasia". Below par, very bad.

Bottom Line: A cohesive summary of "Rust in Peace", "Countdown to Extinction", and "Youthanasia". A solid album from a band that seems to have forgotten the word original.

Originality: 5
Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on July 19, 2020.

A hidden gem unearthed, what a fucking demo! There better be a full-length album in the works, because I don't think this will be enough to satiate my wanton desire for black/grind done right! Where has this band been all the time, can't be that they've been hiding all this time on purpose, I don't believe it, a two-man squad that'd march straight through a full sextet. Heavy as an aircraft carrier, Kratornas convoke 3 storms of Satanic might on their 2020 demo titled Pestilence.

It really does sound like being attacked by endless swarms of hungry locusts. Each bite more murderous than the last, yet only a taste of Kratornas' fury stored away in some sigil sealed vault, this demo epitomizes perfection in the black/grind subgenre. A carnivorous assault, a cry of beckoning devastation, instruments deliver a smiting blow of dark occult acidic precipitation; an unholy carbonic slime from a black/death/grind kraken upheaved.

The torment is everlasting, as a foul awakening is fetched by the first track, an evil natured explosion titled 'Darkness and Dust'. Contaminating the atmosphere with insidious 1st wave black metal vocals and gutsy guitar rhythms alongside an unrestrained drumming technic, the crushing-tectonic weight of the band is felt and remains active. 'On Dying Aeons' is a victorious war march through the subgenre, fast and raw with a severity amplified through a blast beat brigade and one twisted gravity-blast. However, its most monstrous moment arrives on the final tablet of terror, 'Three Unclean Spirits' that merges specific highlights of Pestilence such as the bold hammering of the snare, the rhythmic complexity of the guitaring and the vocal vehemence heard from the onset.

After hearing Pestilence, an immediate visit to Kratornas' earlier work was made and damn, even though carrying a miserable production as heard on The Onslaught of Battle Demons, the atmosphere they were able to create is bloody wretched and the music itself just matched the inhuman vocals heard. Thus, said I hope Kratornas can follow-up Pestilence with something of that sort but with a better produced varnish and in full length form, 34 minutes or so.

Pestilence appears to be the warning strokes for something more sacreligious to come from perhaps one of the best kept secrets in metal and that of black/death/grind/War, Kratornas!

Rating: 8.7 out of 10