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░ ██ ██ Artist: Forest of Grey ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Crypsis █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2018 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-12-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Casus Belli Musica / Beverina ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Crypsis has been unearthed, after 10 years in the █
█ making. Progressive, melodic and heavily █
█ instrumental black metal compositionà █
█ █
█ Background █
█ This one comes from independent and somewhat fresh █
█ act straight out of Seattle, Washington. Forest of █
█ Grey is an ambient/melodic black metal project █
█ consisting of four primary members that's been █
█ active for roughly around a decade or so now and █
█ focuses on themes related to nature and esoteric █
█ concepts. And, while not a lot is known about █
█ these northwest US metallers, their debut full █
█ length is here nowà so let's talk about it. █
█ █
█ Album Breakdown █
█ Released very early on in 2018, Crypsis by Forest █
█ of Grey serves as a potential concept album that █
█ is also a follow-up to the band's previously █
█ released demo back in the day. It comprises a █
█ roughly 30 minute composition made up of merely █
█ two actual songs, surprisingly so. This doom-like █
█ divison is justified by the tracks' sprawling █
█ transitions and progressions, and is, for the most █
█ part, an instrumental effort. The album is █
█ available in digipack CD format on Bandcamp. █
█ █
█ Analysis █
█ I. The first half of Crypsis starts out with some █
█ clean acoustic riffing and striking chords for a █
█ longwinded introduction to a slow-burn type of █
█ release. Then...all of a sudden...the rest of the █
█ instrumentals begin to slowly fade in one by one. █
█ The foreboding siren-esque shrieks in the █
█ background, the mystical and serenading sound of █
█ the strings, and the slowly paced percussions █
█ build up a decent wall of sound. Several minutes █
█ later, the distortion finally takes form and those █
█ crunchy, yet doomy guitar chords lead the pack. █
█ The vocals come in about halfway into this song; █
█ though, they take a backseat in comparison to the █
█ rest of what's going on. As mentioned before, this █
█ album blends black metal with doom metal pacing █
█ and prog-like transitions and tempo changes at █
█ times, with everything being nicely produced and █
█ toned throughout. Towards the end, the vocals drop █
█ out and listeners are treated with a nicely mixed █
█ in and extended guitar solo. The song then speeds █
█ up to a tremolo crescendo akin to an orchestra of █
█ destruction and melody. █
█ II. Once again, this one starts out with some █
█ clean guitar picking that swiftly mixes in with █
█ some distortional feedback. Out of nowhere, the █
█ guitar distortion comes in and goes into tremolo █
█ riffing madness combined with blast beat drumming █
█ and some incoherent vocals that creep into the █
█ mix. Though, the high-pitched vocals are a bit █
█ more prominent in this track, since the song takes █
█ a break from the madness briefly for some █
█ bass/vocal dual destruction. I won't spoil too █
█ much of the rest, but it's a treat indeed if █
█ you're a fanatic of the ambient and the melodic. █
█ █
█ The Verdict █
█ To sum up, Crypsis is slightly more melodic and █
█ slowly paced than your average black metal album. █
█ It's somewhat progressive in its undertoned █
█ elements, as well as heavily instrumental in its █
█ overall execution and mixture of various sounds. █
█ Not too heavy, not too light...makes for just the █
█ right amount of balance for those who enjoy █
█ atmospheric content, yet, at the same time, an █
█ equally strong contender in terms of the modern █
█ day 'kvlt' era. █
█ █
█ Pros: Interesting guitar riffs and general █
█ instrumental progression; competent mix/master; █
█ solid song structure throughout █
█ Cons: Vocals not too engaging in first track; █
█ slowly paced sometimes █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. I 15:19 ░
░ 2. II 14:38 ░
░ 29:57 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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