Review by Sam on February 7, 2026.

Well, I finally got that double bass I was looking for from these guys. I just had to go all the way back to the beginning to get it. The double kicks make multiple appearances throughout this self-titled 2017 demo, but it’s just that it can be felt more than it can be heard. It doesn’t really matter because after listening to this a few times, it’s quite clear that Cryptworm have remained true to their original intentions. If anything, the biggest difference between the band today and the band of the past is that Hanyi Tibor’s gruesome gurgle has deepened to perfection with the passage of time. It’s more of a low register throaty bellow here on their first ever recording.

The low-fi production is indicative of this being a demo, but fear not, for it is quite listenable; it just doesn’t have the clarity of their later work. Tibor doesn’t play guitar solos, seemingly as a rule, but there are a couple of instances here where he does some lead playing, most notably on the closing track 'Gutswamp', and it’s dripping with infernal iniquity. The foetid frontman’s ability to title songs and write morbidly disturbing gorey lyrics is unmatched in today’s death metal scene. This lead lick I speak of appears over the only doom to be found on this record, but it’s the best part of the whole thing, and it’s a strong suit of the ensemble that only gains strength with each passing release. On the whole, this stuff is fast and formidable, featuring mostly old school blasts and Slayer beats, torturous tremolo sequences, punishing power chords, and no shortage of riffs despite the brevity of this work.

I’m usually not inclined to listen to a band’s early demos for fear of putrid production, but these dudes are special, and I have become a total fanboy in the short time that I have spent experiencing them. So, although it’s a bit rough, this is a quality snapshot of an embryonic OSDM project that only foreshadows the greatness to come.

Rating: 8 out of 10