CRYPTIC CHAMBER

REVIEWS ARENA
EMAIL ADDRESSES can be found on each bands interview page if available.

*** An UPDATE FREEZE has been placed on this section of the Cryptic Chamber site as well as the Interviews arena so that we may focus more on other sections of the site. Feel free to check in for any changes to the Reviews/ Interviews sections. ***

NAILED: A PURE WORLD IS A DEAD WORLD
(Self Submission)
9 Tracks
1.2006

I’ll be honest…it’s pretty damned hard to find fault with this. It doesn’t take but a few minutes into the disc to appreciate Nailed are capable of brutal things. If I heard these guys live I can imagine a pretty crazy crowd response, it’s a punishing piece of death metal and easy to get moving to.
Its unrelenting, brutal and has enough changes mixed in to soundly put it a headspace above a lot of bands out there right now. Production is good and the offsetting of two vocal styles works in their advantage.
The only slight downside for me is at times the lyrics can be a little old school death metal and generic, but really its not enough to take away from recommending this to anyone, and really - who isn’t partial to shredded fetus lyrics every now and again? Track 8 “Scorpio” should for sure be given some stereo time as an introduction to Nailed. It’s certainly instantly memorable. Definitely not a disc to pass up on.
Its good to finally hear some encouraging and fresh death metal coming from the UK again, and while Nailed pay homage to many bands in their bio, make no mistakes- they definitely have their own thing going on.

****

ROTTING CYCLE
(Self Submission)
8 Tracks
10.2005

This reminds me a little bit of ’Die Right Mind’. Not the greatest recording quality but hey, that’s not the point. The vocals are very controlled and strongly aggressive.
For a Tulsa, Ok band, this is a surprising amount of talent. This band has a lot going for them and for once in a long long time, we have finally received a cd from an unsigned with a substantial bass and drum sound. Just the way we like it!
This cd is nothing short of entertaining and immensely energetic. Every second of time seems to have been utilized so masterfully. Without question, this is the absolute best submission we have had in the past 5 months.

****

ROAKOKE: STORMBRINGER
(Self Submission)
1 Track
10.2005

With a kicker of one minute sixteen seconds of annoying nothingness, the cd finally seems to start attempting to go somewhere. This is our first doom submission in years. By 8 minutes and 56 seconds, we finally get some vocal throw down here. (It lasts for about a minute) Self-described as “Doom, Sludge, Chaos”… I am not finding any chaos here. There are no changes in the music. NONE. More than one person makes up this band and, to think that maybe they are doing shows somewhere is staggering really. Borderline abusive some could say. Here’s the consensus… And being, there is nothing to say about the music because, within the first 40 seconds, you have heard the entire 32 minutes of this cd, we leave you with this: Any half-witted fool with a stereo can figure out that, while there are four members who make up Roanoke, you really could accomplish this same exact sound by setting a drunken midget next to a really good Korg.

****

EVISCERATE: THE ART OF SUFFERING
(Self Submission)
4 tracks MDC
10.2005

This 4-track offering is so bogged down by a completely irritating drum machine that it’s hard to get past that without thinking of techno. Track 2 (“Fetid”) shows some promise, almost sounding like a different band. But beyond that, there isn’t much here at all, which is frustrating because the vocals sound like there is potential to do something with them. Simply put - This is Mortician with an out of control drum machine. Too monotonous to really get off the starting blocks or leave you with much more than a 20 minute headache. If Eviscerate could have reeled in the drums and stuck with the ideas in track two, this might have worked better.

****

CARNACAIN: THE DEAD SUFFER A RESTLESS SLEEP
(Self Submission)
10 Tracks
10.2005

A beautiful yet haunting voice sets the atmosphere for the entrance of Carnacains debut offering, and something in that voice lets us know something wicked is coming….
Something dripping blast beasts, mangled flesh and low end sound. What follows in the next tracks reminded me that the grassroots of the genre still has much to offer. The disc opens strong and doesn’t let up. It’s obvious that these guys love their metal (no “core” or ball caps to be found here). The riffs are complex and well constructed while never slowing down on the brutality. They succeed in creating a powerful sound by blending old school death metal sounds with the complexity of the newer faster style of death metal. All the while maintaining enough changes to keep it interesting. I am strongly impressed by Carnacain, as they offer everything I’ve come to expect from death metal while throwing enough new shit in there to keep it fresh. If anything, the production at times seems a little fuzzy. More clarity on the guitars would have worked a charm and would have definitely benefited the sound. The vocals could use a little more aggressiveness - but I get the sneaking suspicion that will be something the band will have nailed in future, and doesn’t detract much from the CDs impact. (Not at all bad for a self-production) In fact, most of the songs stand well enough on their own to avoid the “Obituary effect” of skipping through the disc to find memorable tracks.
Carnacain are definitely a band all fans of true death metal should search out. Followers of Suffocation, Nile, etc will not be disappointed with what these guys offer. Well-written, true-blood death metal with a lot of potential to step up a level in brutality. Expect good things in the future…

****

NIGHT IN GALES: TEN YEARS OF TRAGEDY
(Self Submission)
4 tracks MDC
10.2005

This German lot has yet another release under their belts.
Upside; It is strong and creative music with a nice speed to it.
Downfall; The vocals are very hard-core in some areas.
Being Night In Gales, this is an immense disappointment. A step backwards without a doubt. It’s somewhat difficult to locate old Night In Gales releases in the states, but this one is sure to be Best Buy/ Target worthy. It’s not that these songs are full on shit, or that there is a lack of talent. There is simply a lack of edge.
Get Killed or Die Trying is one of the better tracks here both for creativity and structuring as well as it being fun to listen to. It’s difficult to get past the hardcore vocal style though. I have never been one who liked the sound of someone about to vomit. Something about the heaving aspect of it just doesn’t do it for me. All in all, while maintaining a great deal of creativity, albeit changing gears in style, “Ten Years of Tragedy” is worth a listen.

****

DEPRESY: PSYCHOMANTIUM PHENOMENON
(Shindy/ Vesper Submission)
11 TRACKS
9.2005

First things first, it’s clear Dragon isn’t doing vocals anymore. Vesper is filling the slot. Being a big fan of Dragons, it is a bit odd to hear someone else take the lead here. Vesper defiantly manages to hold his own, however even the music itself sounds completely different in style. The energy isn’t what you would expect from a Depresy release. It’s slightly more than average and nothing close to what we would have liked to hear. Personally speaking, I don’t like what seems to be an absolute lack of musical creativity. From any other band, it would suffice, but not from these guys. It’s just not going to make it anywhere close to holding a spot as a permanent fixture in the CD player. Typically, Depresy have the ability to maintain a fluidity that would be hard to find fault in. And with this particular release, it seems nothing but random. Techno touches, old school styles, doom and black metal rolled into smears of simplified keyboard that sound like they belong in some ‘B’ horror vamp movie. Again, if it were any other band, we wouldn’t give a shit. But as it stands, this doesn’t make the grade for us. But, we don’t want you thinking it’s all bad. The lyrical content, while slightly scientific, broad and somewhat evolutionary in tale, is spectacularly well written. Too bad that just isn’t enough to make us want to hold onto this particular Depresy release.

****

DEPRESY: SIGHTING
(Shindy/ Vesper Submission)
8 TRACKS
9.2005

Anyone familiar with Depresy will be aware of the fact that this is indeed a somewhat old release, but, Depresy, as well as Shindy have gone through a LOT of trouble to get this kit to us. Of course we are going to review it!
This CD maintains the brilliant energy we are use to hearing from these guys. They have a trademark sound that is easily identifiable which makes for a nice form of familiarity. This cd in itself has come a long way from “ A Grand Magnificence”. There’s more of a mournful structure to some of the tracks found on this cd. And still, nothing misses a beat. Track two is filled with everything imaginable from these guys. You can even catch some evil carnival touches. While track 5 (The Forest Below the Midnight Shadow) sounds slightly similar to some of Nokturnal Mortems older releases, you can tell a great deal of creativity and time went into the creation of this release. Well, I do have to be honest, track 7& 8 are shit. A little too slow and annoying for my taste. It stands well on it’s own, we simply recommend you check it out.

****

VAVEYLA: ABANDONED LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE
(Self Submission)
15 TRACKS
9.2005

As sure as the title of this CD is as gay as gay can get; this CD starts out with the longest drawn out nonsensical beatnik-sounding crap ever created. 1:30 of it to be precise. Track 2, yeah, not short on opinions here. It has an eerie start vocally. Some little weedy voice sounding as if it’s calling for help from an underground prison cell. But it gets better. The heavier vocals are actually surprisingly pretty good. The bad side here is that the music seems to consist of the same 3 notes just played at different speeds. (Over and over and over) This cd is rather confusing actually. Have a bit of surfer in ya’? Because this could be the cd for you! That is, if you’re a spastic fuck who likes a bit of surfer rock mixed with what could well be a very suicidally inclined raspy-throated death-metal reject. For the 36 minutes and 11 seconds of this cd, it isn’t the most putrid thing we have received. Hell, by track 6 (Farewell Dance), they seem to be getting a bit familiar with the other notes capable of coming out of their instruments. (I stress “seem to”… No wait; it’s just a chorus effect and some fool yapping it up in the background. Hey, that’s still something.) Let’s just be frank, shall we? This just isn’t good in any form. It’s not creative, its not mind-blowing, it is just not memorable. It is recommended however, that you check it out for yourselves though. All opinions differ. And if you make it past the 10th track, yes… those are bongos you hear. What else is there to say? BONGOS! We will toss it in the pile of “Unfortunates”.

****

We will be posting more reviews up in due time. In the meantime, feel free to look at some of the retired ones from the old site. Keep sending in your press kits and we will get to them when we can. (Page will open in new window)

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