Pulverised Records (2012)

After demoing in the early 90’s Swedish death metallers Crypt of Kerberos released their debut album “World of Myths” in 1993 before promptly disappearing off the radar for almost 20 years. Now, the good folks at Pulverised have seen fit to reissue a re-mastered version complete with rehearsal tracks for the entire album as a bonus and some vastly improved cover artwork.

Back in its day “World of Myths” didn’t make it onto many turntables, but those who did check it out praised it for its unorthodox approach, which back then was pretty much ahead of the curve in terms of what was to come for progressive death metal. What made Crypt of Kerberos different was the volume of different metal influences they packed into their music. There is heads down thrashing, heavy groove, intertwining guitar leads and softer parts that seize the imagination and carry the listener away. Quite simply, these guys are such accomplished musicians that they excel at whatever they turn their hand to, meaning that they are always thoroughly convincing.  There are keyboards too, though used sparingly and so much shredding this disc sometimes sounds like the Nocturnus practice room.

Maybe at the time this release came across as too polished or perhaps it lacked the classic Swedish sound that bands like Dismember and Entombed made famous, meaning fans turned a blind eye to Crypt of Kerberos. That is their loss! However, I’m happy to report that “World of Myths” sounds fantastic and makes perfect sense to my ears in 2012 and if you are looking for something more cerebral in a death metal style, then this could be the thing for you. Isn’t one of the best things about metal that you can discover bands like this that you missed first time around and still feel that frisson of excitement that you have uncovered something cool and new?

www.myspace.com/crypten
www.pulverised.net

Rating: 5 / 6
      
Composed by Peter Loftus