Review by Felix on June 27, 2024.

Kryptamok is one of the countless Finnish one man projects – and it is among the better or even the best ones. This is not only my opinion, otherwise the first and only demo would not have been re-released on vinyl and CD. Its title is programmatic and the typical artwork is attractive, so what about the music? Well, “Profaani” proves that Hex Inferi, the man behind Kryptamok, had a clear vision of his preferred style right from the beginning. The demo paved the way for the following two full-lengths. If you like “Verisaarna” and / or “Kataklysmi”, it is almost impossible to resist the charm of “Profaani”.

During the 20 minutes of this demo, Hex Inferi does not seek salvation in innovation. He mixes the tried and tested components of the genre and he does this in a very good way. It may not sound very interesting when I say that the songs hold stormy and atmospheric parts, they vary the tempo and their patterns offer enough breaks and changes – which do not hurt the flow of the tracks, fortunately. But that’s what it is and it works very well. “Profaani” is free from ingredients of other styles (good), but not free from talent (better) and completely Finnish (best). Naturally it does not unhinge the black metal world, do not forget that we are speaking about a demo. But it reflects a surprising maturity and an authentic spirit. I know regular releases of quite famous bands with worse features.

The production does not uncover that “Profaani” was born as a demo. Its full and dense sound achieves a professional level with great ease. Guitars and drums, the raw voice and the sporadic keyboards, everything is set in the right light. From this follows that we can enjoy the dismal yet vehement melodies all the more. In their best moments they create the magical aura of black metal, a mood that cannot be find in any other style. No doubt, Mister Hex Inferi enriched the scene already with his first sign of life – and therefore I hope he returns in 2024 with a new full-length.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10