Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead

The EP was recorded in  2010, the same year Cryptborn emerged, and first saw light in cassette form via Detest Records a couple of months back. The quintet of American vocalist ChristButcher, bassist Jani Nupponen, guitarists Ville Markkanen and K.L., plus drummer AtomosM are not exactly newcomers, the first three having released their creative and wanton skills in blackened death band Maveth together. That already existing understanding is a big factor to the obvious fluidity and tightness of the band.

Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead is a dirty, lingering animal, its fetid sound invading every pore as it consumes each of the senses like an aural plague. Opening track and intro “A Feast for the Grave (intro)” invades with a slow predatory crawl, its suffocating dirge oppressive and invasive. It is a challenging beginning leading into the release’s more paced and aggressive mass, all coated in intimidation and flesh stripping power. There is, behind the intensity, a sludge crawl on each track, a noxious blanket of weight on which slightly healthier riffs and tempos play, as on the hel’ls pit decomposition of “Gift of Rotten Flesh” and crushing Swedish death metal sourced title track “In the Grasp of the Starving Dead”.

Vocally ChristButcher digs deep within himself to bring a guttural delivery blacker than hell, his demonic voice in balance with the darkness of Cryptborn’s sound; you can almost visualise his eyes glowing red as he casts his bile-drenched, devil-spawned tones upon each track, and is especially effective and demonic on “Rotten Gates of Heaven”. Alongside him the guitars drive relentlessly and deeply into the ear thoughout, stripping layers away as they drill deeper and deeper, a noisome intrusion that brings relief as they stop, but emptiness at the loss of their eager violation too. The abrasive scathing sounds a treat as much as they are a violent intrusion.

Within Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead there are sounds and flavours that bring distinct references to the likes of Grave, Entombed, and Dismember and all who kneel down to the altar of old school death metal will eagerly consume the creations that Cryptborn bring forth on their EP. The EP is a little short of touching a release of the year tag, and is not without a few things that bring its overall quality down a touch. Originality is not at its height for starters, but for skill and intent it ranks highly. It’s just that up against recent releases, like the album from label mates Goreaphobia, that spark to make it standout is diminished. Production wise, too, there is a negative in that the drums and bass are often indistinct within the wall of sound. You know they are there, can sense and hear them, but without a clarity to hear the skills and creativity the musicians bring. They are both more often than not lost in the overall wave of oppression.