CRYPTOPSY

There was an almost tangible sense of fear amongst passengers on central Canadian Greyhound buses in the weeks following the 2008 beheading of a passenger by the hands of the man seated next to him. The victim was murdered, beheaded and cannibalized. Canadian extreme metal juggernauts CRYPTOPSY have artistically captured this horrific incident on their new track "The Knife, The Head and What Remains". Lyrically, you can't get any more death metal than that.

Musically, however, the track, as well as the rest of their EP, "The Book of Suffering Tome 1", ventures through, and well beyond, the parameters of archetypal death metal. CRYPTOPSY has always been an atypical extreme metal band, but their progression carried them away from their early career's more recognizable death metal stylings. "The Book of Suffering Tome 1" has more in common with their mid-career's work, which featured vocalist Mike DiSalvo. Here he is emulated more by current throat shredder, Matt McGachy, who spices up his own approach and growl, which boasts an impressive range and sense of fortitude.

McGachy joined the fold for 2007's "The Unspoken King", a release that prompted a considerable backlash because the new vocalist employed melodic vocals regularly, and because they arguably incorporated elements of metalcore. Their music and aesthetic had indeed morphed tremendously from their early, grizzly death metal days, when original vocalist, Lord Worm, would occasionally eat worms onstage. But with "The Unspoken King", many overlooked the incredible way the band transitioned between the dichotomy of smooth and coarse. Now, they may not have been eating worms, but they were creating music that was mapped out thoughtfully and with purpose. Whatever the catalyst may have been, the band returned to a more technical death metal approach on their self-titled release three years ago.

There is no question that CRYPTOPSY paid attention to detail with "The Book of Suffering Tome 1". Some technical death metal bands lose themselves in musicianship; Cryptopsy has always used their talent toward creating memorable, extreme songs. "Halothane Glow" steamrolls onward, driven by Flo Mounier's seemingly inhuman drumming, before chugging away with a powerful mid-song break, only to return to a belligerent frenzy to round out the song.

There is almost a sense that they hold back too much throughout, though. Maturity underscores their self-restraint, which they leverage to build anticipation in these songs before they ultimately reach the climax and release that the listener is longing for. One can't help but wish that they would cut loose and fire on all cylinders more often as they did with "Whisper Supremacy" and "…And Then You'll Beg".

It's hard to believe that CRYPTOPSY has been an unsigned band for a few years, but the music industry is undergoing a major process of evolution, to say the least. The band states that they'll be releasing a series of EPs as part of "The Book of Suffering" concept, allowing for more frequent releases. There is more than enough fat to chew on here for the time being, and hopefully the follow-up will indeed be relatively soon.