Review of Cryptopsy - None So Live

Cryptopsy is a band that will rack your brain with their complexity and intensity. Hearing their studio material can only make one wonder, "can they really pull that off live?" Personally, I've seen their live attack in person and I can say they play everything to perfection. But if any nay-sayers remain, None So Live shall set them straight. Crypstopsy is known for their off the wall riffage, whip-lash inducing stops and starts, and all around insanity. Those Canadians love their speed and you could tell this crowd was pumped for this show to begin. The chanting of the band’s name gives way to the ultimately crushing intro track, "Crown of Horns", off the album None So Vile. The album careens out of control like a train wreck, showcasing material from every album. The track "Open Face Surgery" is even on here, which is a track they don't often play live. None So Live marks the debut of new vokillist Martin Lacroix. The best way to describe him is he's somewhat of a hybrid of his two predecessors, Mike DiSalvo and Lord Worm. He has a bit of the clarity that DiSalvo brought and a bit of the all out death metal brutality that Lord Worm brought to the plate. Personally, I think he'll be able to fill the shoes as a vokillist quite nicely. One thing I noticed is you can actually make out some of the lyrics from the material off Blasphemy Made Flesh and None So Vile which had Lord Worm as vokillist. And anyone who has heard those albums can testify that while even following along with the lyrics in hand you still can't make out one word he says. In between songs, Martin does a good job of rousing the crowd (although I have not a clue what he's saying since he's speaking French). The real treat here comes compliments of the skins man himself, Flo Mounier. During the track "Graves of the Fathers" the band takes a break and Flo seizes the opportunity to show off why he is one of the best drummers in metal today. His two minute drum solo is truly an enjoyable listen and I can only imagine watching it all go down live would have been nothing short of amazing. Shortly after he finishes off the band kicks back in and finishes off the song in true crushing fashion. Finally the album comes to perfect completion with the outro track, "Slit Your Guts", which contains heaviness to be reckoned with and starts and stops that will make your head explode. The production on the album is great. The double kicks sound like massive jackhammers, while the rest of the kit sounds in perfect order. The guitars are intense and the heavy bass will be sure to smash your skull into pieces. Now I'm not even the biggest fan of live albums, but this one is just impressive. The sound quality is top-notch, you can hear the crowd going nuts in between songs, and you get the awesome drum solo to top off the package. When listening to this, beware, for a metal grimace will not leave your face for the next 50 minutes.

Release Details

Cryptopsy

None So Live

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