Insects from an irked hive – 89%
gasmask_colostomy, August 22nd, 2021
Bionic Swarm is an excellent name for the third Cryptosis outing, and the first since changing their name from Distillator. The rush of their energetic, aggressive thrash metal sounds exactly like the flurry of insects you would imagine coming out of an irked hive, yet the precision and commanding technicality of the performances carries a certain mechanistic intelligence that mere biology can’t quite describe. A good few bands have sprung up in the Vektor mould over the past several years, with Cryptosis standing out as one of few willing to write brief, punchy songs that still carry a strong conceptual arc and pack in technical features. That puts them far adrift from Cryptic Shift’s 25 minute tracks and, despite the name change bringing the 2 outfits into close proximity, Cryptosis should pick up more regular thrash fans as a result.
Simply looking at the statistic for quantity of gang vocals across this 37 minute release inspires the feeling that the Dutchmen want to thrash first and tell sci-fi tales second. Total bashers like ‘Transcendence’ and ‘Flux Divergence’ remain in high gear without needing to tone down the tricky riffs or shouts, though Cryptosis show another side on the more considered ‘Prospect of Immortality’ and ‘Mindscape’ (the album’s longest songs), which funnel the band’s power into menacing slow pace and eerie, empty atmosphere somewhere between Fear Factory and Watain. That indeed lends quite a jolt of surprise to Bionic Swarm as a whole, allowing Cryptosis to alternately prowl and ambush, both with maximum effect. This could well be the next big word in progressive thrash metal.
Originally written for Metalegion #9 – www.metalegion.com
rafazardly 