The first time I was introduced to Krypts, which was some time ago, when their 2009 demo ''Open The Crypt'' unexpectedly triggered the massing of a gigantic Finnish underground reserve for pungent, cave-dwelling old school death metal with blatantly gargantuan doom metal interpretations, and four years after the beginning of their chasm exploration, the Finns return with a hulking, and quite literally ''degraded'' debut full-length, which, from the eyes of current heavy metal enthusiasts, can only be regarded as an unashamed aping of an over-saturated cliche that modern pundits such Disma, Funebrarum, Cruciamentum and Ignivomous have already amply exposed us to. Despite whatever gripe one would hold against this seemingly endless flood of hollow death metal, and yet another icon to represent its sheer trendiness, I personally did not find the redundancy of ''Unending Degradation'' to be a deteriorating aspect, and with some experience behind their monstrous, cavernous regime these Finns have certainly put together a record that channels both nostalgia and a somber, though not modern, emphasis on death metal that was popularized by the aforementioned groups.
''Unending Degradation'' commences as any other cavernous death metal band could, starting off with doomy motifs and then unfolding with all of the tenuous, tremulous riffs it bears inside its numbing 40 minute burden. Like their fellow label-mates Anhedonist, they can keep the listener intrigued throughout most of the deliverance time, through a sway of basic, yet monolithic chords by simply applying a chock load of reverb and further amplifying effects, though I believe their true nuance lies in their usage of melodious that entwine with the lumbering guitar patterns, all to create a perturbing atmosphere. And surprisingly, they accomplish most of their core aims. Perhaps their goal in using such melodiously resonant lines to flourish their simple patterns was to completely peeve the listener and pummel him/her into quieted submission, and if so, then they've failed for the most part, as even rookie ears would able to overcome the bludgeoning heft and atmospheric tendencies of this record, but again, they were probably just busy resuscitating the remnants of Funebrarum and Incantation on this one. Krypts seem almost completely devoted to death/doom, rather than the more occasional aggressive death metal motif, which could be a pro or con depending on your stance. They're just bashing the cavernous interiors of dismal caves and crevices with blunted clubs and hammers with the momentum of a drunken caveman, so don't expect to be fluctuated in between moments of complexity and intensity; but then again, you probably know what you're up against, right?
Bludgeon and resonance are the keys to Krypts. But even though they're entangled in this murky aesthetic that has reached its peek in popularity, Krypts don't send a banal wave of repeating, massive guitars to the listener, unlike many of their peers. Yes, I'm sure you're not going to find this the most fun experience you've had in years, a pendulous flood of megalithic guitars led by fiendish, low-register gutturals that like to dwell in the utmost depths of you local cave, and yes, I know they're somewhat taking a risk here now that the sub-genre has taken a route towards the redundant, but I think you'll still find yourself in fairly good hands while listening to Krypts; they reek heavily of nostalgia, they're heavy as fuck, have a discordant appeal to them, and they'd sure as hell attract doom metal fans of the olden sort, so don't be a cunt, give this a try, you won't suffocate, I swear (that last notion may not be fully correct). Monstrous hymns galore.
Highlights:
Blessed Entwinement
Dormacy Of The Ancients
The Black Smoke
Rating: 79%
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