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Cryptopsy - An Insatiable Violence [Season Of Mist - 2025]

As a huge fan of Cryptopsy's music in the 90s and early 00's, I did not expect to be reviewing a new Cryptopsy album in 2025.  Drummer Flo Mounier is the only consistent member in their discography, and this new album features an entirely new lineup from classic Cryptopsy, although it has been largely consistent since their 2012 self-titled album, with Chris Donaldson handling guitars and Oliver Pinard on bass for the last three releases.

My initial impression is that it definitely sounds like Cryptopsy.  Flo Mounier's distinct maximalist, rapid-fire style is in place, and the guitar stylings remind me of the Mike DiSalvo era, and Whisper Supremacy, specifically.  Donaldson apparently absorbed the essence of the Cryptopsy sound from Jon Levasseur during their time together in 2012, as both the chugging brutality of the heavy material and the haunting neo-classical melodic elements are intact here.  The intro to "Our Great Deception" could have been written by Levasseur, and reminds me of some of the best songs in their catalogue like "Cold Hate, Warm Blood".
 
The band could still be said to have some of the fiercest energy and most punctuated blastbeats in the genre, and several of the punishing halftime breakdowns rival some of the band's best moments from the classic era.  Matt McGachy's style is sufficiently brutal as he maintains an impressively low, rough tone with precise breath control.  His current style is not unlike DiSalvo to my ears.
 
Many of the experimental elements found on their early recordings, such as piano, dark classical tonalities, jazz guitar stylings, slap bass, etc., have become commonplace elements of metal in the current generation, exemplified by groups such as Obscura or The Faceless.  These elements appear here in the same kind of sparing, subtle manner as in the band's best music, never distracting from the music's brutal identity.
 
This is probably the best produced recording in the band's catalogue, with the warmth and ear massaging tones of their 90's recordings, but a lot more clarity.  The drum performance is wonderfully captured, with a distinct lack of triggered samples; one can hear the drumkit resonating in the room.  There is none of the bludgeoning overbearing compression heard on Once Was Not; this is a more perfect balance of clarity and power.
 
With, An Insatiable Violence, Cryptopsy have delivered some excellently written, powerful material with the flair and replay value of their classic albums.  It undoubtedly reinvigorates my enthusiasm for this band and helps me understand the need for them in the current landscape.  I am startled by the way the spirit of their music seems intact despite so many personnel changes.  Clearly the current incarnation is quite dedicated to the same qualities that made None so Vile and Whisper Supremacy some of the greatest music in death metal.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Josh Landry
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