Star Wars and Death Metal going together seems an unpopular opinion, right? But Atlanta based Death Metal band Ecryptus did exactly that for their newest EP "Kyr'am Beskar", and we can't be more happy about it! Ecryptus has been in the Metal scene for a very long time. While Death Metal has definitely evolved over ages, this band proves their music can transcend space-time again and again!
Beginning with a Star Wars sample, "Cauterized Saber Wound Massacre" shows a brutal mixture of old-school death metal riffs with added technical elements to it. The outro of the song with its crazy chuggy riff will make any metalhead go nuts! "Planetary Enslavement" shows a groovy side to the riff writing. The last two songs of the EP really spices things up with the drums. “Compulsion to Disintegrate” manifests crazy double bass madness along with a chaotic guitar solo, and ending with a death metal breakdown. “Digested over a Thousand Years” is rather a medium-paced composition, in respect to other songs. Again, drums do most of the heavy-lifting accompanied by the guitars.
In general, the guitar works of Mike Michalski is heavily OSDM based with touches of black metal, doom metal and even brutal death-metal. Lead lines mostly serve for the melodies. Danny Ryann’s drums and Allen Keller’s bass sound incredible in the record, indicating the fact that the production of the EP is of high quality. Two members of the band on vocals, provide a much more range and dynamics, often sounding beastly. The compositions itself are not that complex, but shows an improved songwriting process over their 2008 album “Astral Crusades”.
The old school vibe of the EP, probably owes to the fact of their birth in the earlier days of death metal, while technicalities in their songwriting reflect their place in the modern death metal scene. This record goes hard, and definitely smashes hard!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Website: Ecryptus
Genre: Old-School Death Metal
FFO: Inveracity, Prostitute Disfigurement, Gorgasm, Dying Fetus, Nile
Release Worldwide: January 14th, 2022.
