The frontman "lord worm", who writes the lyrics, is an ESL english teacher for adults and he got his stage name because... he eats worms and other insects, he does it live as well. His vocals are an acquired taste, that's for sure. He's way too over the top in every way to the point that whenever I hear his name I picture some sort of animal, not a human. You said that a song reminds you of deathcore, so it's worth noting that lord worm left the band due to health issues, the band got a new vocalist from a metalcore band, and they dropped a deathcore album and then returned to tech death which I still find to be deathcore influenced. About the lyrics, they are just there for fun, ridiculous topics that get too absurd to the point of being funny. It's nothing about personal fantasies, just pushing how far they can go while probably having a laugh writing it. The phrasing in the lyrics is quite interesting, while still being very blunt. You said that the music is very influential but not the lyrics and that's quite wrong, you haven't been really introduced to gory murderous metal topics on the channel, and there's as much gore death metal bands as there are satanic ones, which is a lot. I guess there's a whole mindset to develop/have while dealing with such music/lyrical topics, when the intent is to produce the gnarliest most depraved thing possible, you'll have to rate it according to how well it serves it's purpose. Whenever I find myself listening to stuff like this my brain completely switches modes and I start digging every negative thing you mentionned in the video, and sometimes even ask for worse. I think a good introduction to gore/murder themed stuff would be carcass' necroticism album, it's very gory but they use very precise medical and anatomical terms for everything. It's a 1991 death metal classic. The album is also musically interesting and ambitious with very distinct dual vocalists, a lot of samples to kickstart songs ,melodic and technical parts. I hope we get to it on this channel someday because I don't think you'll be able to say that you hated it in any way, and I think the channel has not been properly introduced to death metal as much as it has been to black metal. Also, the intro to the album is a sample from one of the exorcist movies I think, can't recall which one.
+1 on the Necroticism recomendation: a very unique album and certainly one of the most approachable ways to take a look into the gore lyrics and the grand daddies of those without having to just jump head first into the extremely deep end of their previous albums which were actual grindcore efforts following every staple of the genre including the 5 cents of production budget with a 5 cent margin of error which I know our host wouldn't be able to get past to
I logged in just to +1 the Necroticism rec. That is my favorite death metal album of all time - the song structures are practically progressive metal with how weird and twisty the flow of nearly every song is, but everything is so catchy and easy-to-follow that it doesn't come across as too challenging or overwhelming
I love death metal, I love the music on this album, but to this day I'm convinced Lord Worm writes lyrics but doesn't actually use them, instead just recording "aahrurawroriraw reroreeriiiroooriraaahh" and the like.
"A gross display of violence" 😂 you get none so Vile more than most people, most metalheads even. Props for sticking it out. This was a game changer for me and it STILL gives me goose bumps like a horror movie
It's ok to laugh! This for the era is so absolutely crushing and pulverizing brutality that the outré elements and stopstart bits are meant to hit you from left field amidst the chaos. In Phobophile the music goes faster and faster and then stops and the dude goes 'OOOGGGH!' like he hit his knee at the edge of a table and then the band literally blasts off even *faster* and keeps accelerating to an absurd degree. Dog barks. Like a cartoon soundtrack. Extreme metal was deliberately extreme, at the time. Watchtower and Atheist were of the same ethos in their era even if they had absolutely different aesthetic and lyrical considerations. The missing link for you is Suffocation.. Like these bands this is an album 100% full of hooks once you're used to it, hence its enduring reputation. Some reasons for the sickness are all the inventive rhythm modulations, the way they slow down and accelerate, the transition/riff section flow... you know, jazz fusion graces.. And the delicate & ornate lyrics of course :P The vocal is infectious, he is so brutish and deliberately stupid on top of actually very complicated music but what he's saying is not stupid at all.. The hooks are big and blatant, the production is actually addictive on repeated listens. This is the thing with this album and a very narrow list of brutal death metal albums, they stick to you. Their sickness grows on you, you find them better and better the more you get used to them, and the swampy element is then celebrated, it's not an obstruction. Things that were embarrassing are now part of your expanded, yet more ape-like palate. And the neoclassical solos, Idiot Operetta, again. Hard band not to love, even with the lyrical embarrassments. Though I prefer their debut album because it's a little less bouncy. But some tracks on here are all time classics of sickness. Trust your instincts, it sounds funny because it is funny, and this band was playing to have a good time with their audience! Meaning, this style of brutal death metal (which this is, and not 'tech death' like Cynic or Atheist) was meant to incite moshing and headbanging and good friendly violent fun in the front row of sweaty live shows in the underground. Absolutely this is bouncy like nu metal at times! All your instincts and observations check out.
I've been a fan of this band for over two decades and even met the band, including Dan (Lord Worm) when he briefly rejoined the band around 2005. The band I was in at the time had a drummer who opened for Cryptopsy back when he was 12 in the early 90ies when they were doing a small tour of Canada for their first full length album. He became friends with Flo (Cryptopsy's drummer) and they have remained in touch ever since. This and their first album are usually more classified as "brutal death metal" rather than tech death, especially since tech death didn't really exist as a genre back then, but more so the intention was all out brutality rather than a technical showcase. That isn't to say this album didn't melt faces for the incredible instrumentation and is definitely well respected for the performance, but Cryptopsy more became a tech death pioneer with the album after this, "Whisper Supremacy", with a different vocalist who is far less varied and unique, but far more discernible and pronounced. That album is way more focused on technical precision rather than brutalizing the listener and is a far easier first listen than this album. As for the production, that is equally a product of choices by the engineer and the band and financial limits. Keep in mind this wasn't recorded on a computer, but to a DAT using analog technology. The drums are all acoustically recorded as triggers were a rather rare technology at the time, hence that kick sound that seems weird to you having mostly been introduced to the genre from the post-digital age production techniques. That sort of sound was rather common for the early genre when analog recording was the norm. When I first heard this album I had a hard time with it. It's definitely not easy to get into on your first listen, especially Lord Worm's vocals. He completely eschews annunciation to go for the most brutal sounding vocal tones he can and uses a ridiculous number of techniques that were all novel at the time for both this album and their first album. The more I listened to this album, the more I found myself enjoying all the little details that are overshadowed by the sheer brutality of it all and after a couple of months of owning it it quickly became a regular listen for me, eventually ascending to probably my favorite death metal album of all time. Dan's vocal performance, which I once thought of as incoherent and terrible, is now one of my favorites. The lyrics are definitely tongue in cheek; lyrically he's matching the brutality of the music with a smile at the same time. Dan has an undergrad degree in psychology, so he's willfully writing things that people find disturbing, both of a violent and sexual nature. He's a fan of romantic literature and poetry, so his writing style is more akin to someone from the late 18th century rather than a modern lyricist. His choice of vocal style is also influenced by his understanding of human psychology, that he wanted to produce sounds that were so incoherent that the listener projects their own understanding onto his performance to hear what they expect, not what is actually uttered. EDIT: I think you missed the point of the final sound byte. It is from "Army of Darkness" which is a satirical horror/fantasy movie, the third in the original Evil Dead trilogy. It emphasizes the sort of ethos the band is producing by aligning it with the same sort of humor from Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. That is, it is meant to bring a sense of humor to what we find absolutely abhorrent, to laugh at tragedy rather than to cry. It isn't an endorsement of violence, but a mockery of it.
"It isn't an endorsement of violence, but a mockery of it." Exactly. I mean, look at the lyrics to "Phobophile"...they're edgy, sure, but the narrator is clearly not the hero of the song. He's obviously a horrible murderer but also an extremely unlikeable arrogant twat. The lyrics aren't glorifying his violence, they're mocking people who actually enact violence and also showing, in a very raw way, the depravity of their actions.
I recently went back to this after first hearing it 15 years ago. After modern death metal, what a breath of fresh air. No gridding, sound replacement. It sounds chaotic, wild. Like death metal should! That intangible "human" quality is totally gone now.
This band and so many others from its time period are so awesome. I wish I was around when Brutal Death Metal was in its prime like this. When music wasn’t situated heavily though mixing and mastering songs in a studio and playing raw instruments with just pure skill and ability. I hope one day music like this begins to rise again mainstream and for metal to change it’s nu-metal based tracks.
@@_bats_ while that may be true in one interpretation its easy for impressionable people to take it seriously in a way they get into it and think it's promotion instead of mockery
Fun fact: Flo Mounier, the drummer of Cryptopsy was sick during the recording of this album. He got flu and had a fever but had to do the drum tracks due to the contract or whatnot. That's why the drums sound a bit rough.
@@therightarmofthefreeworld4703 haha as much as I like this album and Flo drumming, its far from the best drum tracks ever in extreme metal. You can't dismiss all the crazy good black/deathmetal drummers out there, performing even faster/tighter/intenser than Flo did on this album.
I laugh and bang my head like a psycho whenever I listen to this album. It’s both campy and brutally heavy at the same time. I love it. Whenever I hear the lead singer do a random scream, or the bass player goof off I smile. This music genuinely makes me happy
Is there a more underrated guitarist in the history of metal? So few talk about him, and yet he was the only guitarist on this record.. NOBODY was doing what Jon Levassuer did back in 1996.
Hey dude - appreciate you actually sitting through this whole album. This is not an easy album to listen to, even for those who even listen to Death Metal. You're not the only one who can't get into the the maniacal barking vocals, but I've grown to love it ever since because it's unhinged and matches the energy of the music. The lyrics become secondary at this point, and what transcends is the violence and brutality, hence the album title "NONE SO VILE." This was advertised as the most brutal album of its time (1996), Wrong Again Records had ads that said "None So Heavy, None So Brutal....None So Vile." So yes, to circle back to your point, it is an exercise of aggression. Especially for the time when there was "Space Race" in underground Death / Black / Grindcore community as who can be the fastest, sickest and most brutal. It wasn't just Metal that pushed the edge - as that time, even mainstream had Hip Hop pushing the boundaries of lyrical violence and brutality. The LA Riots, OJ Simpson, Jeffry Dahmer, The suicide of Kurt Cobain, the death of Tupac and Biggie...the 90s was a wild time.
The drumming of Flo Mounier is what first and foremost attracts me to this album... the highlight for me is definitely the track 'Phobophile'; a true classic in the genre in my book... 🤘
1:11:41 Been making that same face while headbanging nearly the entire video. Props to you for diving in the deep end with this album and a heartfelt thanks for bringing me back to my high school days.
I wouldn't call Cryptopsy the forefathers or pioneers of tech death metal. If you ever come across Atrocity or Gorguts, it would be AWESOME to see your analysis. They were doing wild stuff in the early 90s! Hallucinations and Longing for death (Atrocity) and the Erosion of Sanity (Gorguts) came up way before None so Vile. In any case, I truly enjoyed your take on a full Cryptopsy album, they were insanely good, creative and innovative in their prime. Their contributions are undeniable. edit: the shrieks sometimes are coming from the drummer, he used to do back vocals FYI edit 2: that's a nice way of putting this album into a sentence: "a gross display of violence". And even if it's just for the sake of violence, it doesn't make it any less artistic. I always saw that final sound sample in the same way: it's an statement. You're left with a sour taste, your ears and brain murdered and somewhat... molested. I don't know, that's they way I see it and it doesn't bother me a bit LMAO
I've heard Gorguts but I don't think I've heard Atrocity. I'll have to check them out sometime. Thanks for the info about the shrieks too. I'm a huge fan of multi-instrument performances.
@@CriticalReactions Just to add a little bit more, aside from his obvious drumming performance, he used to set up the intros and sound bites live, with like a tablet or something and he'd wear a headset for the shrieks. It was nice to witness the whole package, so to speak. I remember watching a 2005 live DVD, it was (as you say), bonkers. That is when their original singer came back to the band, to record one of their most raw, violent and weird albums (Once was not). Anyway, you can tell this band has a special place in my book. As for Atrociy, just to give you a little bit of context, if you decide to check them out, their first record (Hallucinations) is a concept album about drug/child abuse, a full story following up a girl whose life was ruined by addictions and trauma. There is no gore or tong in cheek stuff, no gratuitous violence or gross material, just a real experience, accompanied by some SICK technical music, with lots of jazz influence, with a purpose, nothing like "tech for the sake of being tech". It's a dark record from 1990. I'm not even going to try and describe their 1992 follow up (Longing for death), it's a whole different monster in every level. Sorry for the long post, I've enjoyed your channel from a while now, I really appreciate your efforts, honesty and I love when someone from "the outside" (you know what I mean) talks intelligently about this kind of music. Cheers.
This is one of my favourite albums ever. The first time I heard it couldn’t comprehend how heavy it was but it kept drawing me in and even becomes catchy after a while and well the drums are just mesmerising
When this album came out, tech death wasn't really a thing yet. So this is more meant to be a reflection of death metal at its most savage. The vocals are completely befitting of the music. Utterly gurgling brutality, if he tried to do anything cleanly it just wouldn't fit and would detract from the overall severity of the album in its entirety. This is, for me, the band at its pinnacle. After this release the vocalist, Lord Worm would become the bands manager with Mike Di Salvo taking over the mic on Whisper Supremacy. I, myself, didn't care for his vocal style at all. Honestly, none of the vocalists after this release compare to Lord Worm on this album. That includes Lord Worm himself, when he returned to the fold for the Once Was Not release. If your not into over the top, extremely brutal death metal then this album will not makes sense and you'll have a hard time giving it the appreciation it deserves. No offense intended.
My 3rd favorite album of all time behind Inbreeding the Anthropophagi and Black Seeds of Vengeance and followed by Prelude to the Tragedy and Effigy of the Forgotten \m/
this is a list of metal albums that i highly recommend : Converge - jane doe ( metalcore - hardcore punk - mathcore ) Celtic frost - monitheist ( doom x black x thrash ) Emperor in the nightside eclipse (melodic black metal ) acid bath - when the kite string pops ( sludge metal ) Mastodon - crack the sky ( prog x sludge metal) Draconian - under a godless veil ( gothic metal ) and for my last pick it'd be liturgy's new album this year ( 93696) i have seen comments about people nagging you about vektor's terminal redux bruh that album is revolutionary I'd love it if you give it a try
@@govs213 I though it'd be nice if he experiences gothic metal you know that's why i suggested draconian it rly depends but out of their discography I'd recommend sovran or under a godless veil as for liturgy's 93696 it's a new highly album the best word in order to categorize it it'd be Avant Garde metal and honestly their best work and probably the best metal album this year ( believe em I'm not an exaggeration bruh ) even Anthony fantano gave it a 9 xD melon is rly digging it so do i xD ! hopefully you'll enjoy it
This album came a month later than "Vile" from Cannibal corpse, the biggest band at that moment. So the title probably is in response to that and a way to get some media attention.
See, this is what bugs me. We get people (including Bryan) taking the lyrics in Cryptopsy far too seriously, some commenters here even saying they would ban this music if they had the authority to do so...then we get a recommendation for a band fronted by an actual violent abuser (but who doesn't write lyrics about it) and it's all upvotes.
@@_bats_ there's no proof he's an actual "violent abuser." Both sides gave their story and no convictions or anything like that ever happened. He's reacting to music, not the personal lives of musicians. Calm down.
@@_bats_ that video doesn't show anything remotely near "violent abuse." Certainly no judge thought so. The fact is, neither you nor I really know what happened. I'm not saying the guy didn't do anything, but I've heard the other side of the story as well and I find no reason not to believe him. So ultimately it's a matter of speculation, and I hardly find that a good reason to refrain from enjoying good music.
Vektor's vocalist "David" has made a video explaining the incident in which he was so fed up with his psycho girlfriend that kept hitting and yelling at him so he threw her to the bed. She was the abusive one which can be confirmed by other people who also knew her. It's the same deal as Johnny vs. Amber.
Lord Worm seems like an avant garde kind of guy. Im certain he did call himself lord worm and bark like a dog on purpose because metal is supposed to be fun😂. I don't listen to any tech death, just mostly the old school bands, but this is one of the classic albums I've been going back to for 20 years.. hard to replicate this particular musicianship and overall gonzo sound they came up with. I saw you make a little stank face in the last song 😊 the "run home and cry to mama" reinforced the humor for me, we start on Exorcist and end on Army of Darkness
Props to you just for doing this at all knowing it wasn't going to be your thing. I love this album, but I also encountered it before listening to all the later tech-death. Every metal generation has their band and album that was consciously pushing things as far as they could go at the time. In the mid 80s it was Slayer's Reign in Blood, in the 2000s it was Meshuggah's Nothing, in the 90s it was, well, this (this isn't meant as an exhaustive list; there's definitely other bands that were pushing the extreme limits in other ways). It's also written deliberately tongue-in-cheek, IMO, and the allusion to Evil Dead/Army of Darkness is a hint at that, since those films were also humorous horror that reveled in over-the-top cheesiness (hence why they're cult classics). These days, I wouldn't listen to this and think it sounds "extreme" any more just because of familiarity with where the genre went; in fact, during this listen the thing that stood out most to me is how much this sounds like sped-up old-school death metal and I can hear the influence of Death, Obituary, etc. I still enjoy the riffs, drumming, and that fat, punchy bass... and of course Lord Worm's singularly unique vocals. I think only Demilich on Nespithe had more nauseatingly gutteral vocals.
yes! I conceptualize old school death metal and modern death metal as 2 distinct styles, sonically speaking. To me, old school death metal is derived thrash metal that amped up the dark atmosphere and catchy melody. Whereas modern death metal, with the rhythms being centered around blast beats and the focus sitting on rhythmic intensity, feels like it's more derived from grindcore -- amping up the metallic influences and stripping the hardcore punk from it. 'None So Vile' feels like such a triumph for me because it's one of those rare instances where it manages to capture the dark and evil mood, as well as the catchiness of old school death metal, with the brutality and rhythmic intensity of modern death metal, without sacrificing either. All with this absurdly eccentric twist.
If there is one thing one shouldn't do about 90's brutal death metal is to take the lyrics too seriously. This is all about shock value to make parents scream "why won't somebody think of the children!?" and be as edgelordy as possible. Also these bands are heavily inspired by old violent B-Horror or horror comedies. Think of Bad Taste and Braindead movies (both by Peter Jackson by the way. 😎) and original Evil Dead trilogy. Sure there are and were Death Metal bands with a bit more serious lyrics and you have been introduced to some of them (Death, Morbid Angel...) but 90s was also full of bands that lyrically rode on nothing but shock value. Cannibal Corpse being the biggest name of this style and you may be familiar with them already. If nothing else then from Ace Ventura 1 movie. 😁 They are still going strong and still writing horror movie-style lyrics.
To me it's beautiful music, yet it's always fun to listen to the opinions of people who don't really like it so much. Flo has the the perfect name because when I think of this music I think of his flowing drumming lol. Thanks for the reaction!
ha, the band Caninus had 2 or 3 Pit Bulls 'vocalists'. the split with Cattle Decapitation might be their only release. i think they did a split with Hatebeak (used a parrot on vocals) as well.
The clip at the beginning of the album (I do that rather well) is taken from the movie The Exorcist and the one at the end (run home and cry to mama) is from Evil dead 3 : Army of darkness.
I liked this album as a kid growing up in the 90's but looking back at it now, I tend to agree with you. It's pretty silly now honestly. I got to meet these guys after one of their shows. Lord Worm was really quiet but shook my hand. The drummer, which is the band leader, was a normal looking and really nice and an average normal guy to talk to surprisingly. Lord Worm's look reminded me of Captain Hook with glasses. He was always wearing those tucked in pirate shirts haha.
I haven't heard this album in a long time but I always considered it to be brilliant in a quirky sorta way. But what it really is is that you're hearing them as a diamond in the rough. I hear so many cool ideas and potential (and the occasional super banger like Slit Your Guts and Phobophile). Unfortunately for some they changed their sound up quite a bit after this album. I for one didn't mind the new stuff. Their unique approach was very interesting and It made them stand out in a genre that was starting to get stale already. I highly recommend Whisper Supremacy and ...And Then You'll Beg. I did find your reaction quite insightful and hilarious too. I could help but laugh when you did, the vocals are so goofy sometimes.
Yeah I think you're right on the comical aspect because back in those days it was more making fun of the fundie Christian fear/sensationalism of monsters demons rather than just being creepy or brutal so they would just push it pretty much. we loved it back then and still do now
'Benedictine Convulsions' is about benedictine friars/monks being forced to go through demonic possession, according to vocalist lord worm. It's interesting because I started my Cryptopsy experience with the vocalist that came after him, but this is easily my favorite death metal album.
the lyrics are to be taken seriously but the situations discussed are not. They are an element of the song to make it even more dark than the instrumentation already is. Nobody wonders if Stephen king is a serial killer because he wrote the shining. When it comes to metal you have to approach the horror as you would in literature or a movie. If its repulsive and made you feel uncomfortable or even frightened, then him as a lyricist did a good job. It doesn't mean he's a serial killer or he writes these lyrics to keep from killing people, it just means he has a way with words. Hell, he's an English professor, which played a big part in the lyrics obviously. At the time every band was trying to one up each other by being the next heaviest and brutalist thing. This band had a serious advantage with lord worm because he could word together some of the most repulsive combinations of words youd ever read (because u damn sure cant hear them) and made a big difference as far as tone of the album. When they named the album "none so vile" they meant it and when it comes to being vile, well just listen to the intro again. "I do that very well, dont you think?"
I'm a long time metal head, and I had to click on this video based on the thumbnail of your face and the fact that it's a nearly 2 hour review of a 40 minute LP. Cryptopsy is a love/hate band for me. It was my introduction to extreme metal in the 90s, and I think it's hilarious, brilliant and awful all at the same time. I realize though, that it's likely the first extreme metal album you have heard, since your observations about the production and the vocal style are descriptions of the genre of technical death metal as a whole. You say it sounds like a cartoon dog. A lot of use call it "cookie monster" vocals.
First time trying to listen to this: "can't take those vocals seriously, sorry." All subsequent listens: "idc about the vocals, this composition kicks so much ass, love it!" Later listens, after I'd seen Exorcist 3: "this is the best album intro ever and also yes i love this whole album of music, vocals aside." Me now: "the music here rules, just like their next album 'Whisper Supremacy."
You have been crazy doing this full album. Did you know what you expected? Unexpected or a self-defeating choice? 😅 PS: yes, they are a huge influence on deathcore along with Suffocation and Dying Fetus.
@@CriticalReactions You would have appreciated more the next two albums, Whisper Supremacy and And Then You'll Beg. Different singer, less rough and more technical.
I love this album but have to be in a certain mood for it. I'll admit, I didn't quite get it at first but I checked it out while high and that made all the difference.
Sure is. Ever seen Mr. Pickles? That is an actual death/black metal satanic border collie who straight up murders people left and right in the goriest ways. His kid owner knows nothing of it. The must here reminded me of the intro music for said cartoon show.
This album did and still does blow me away when I listen to it, it's a beast, it's relentless infact to save money when my nana was dying she was after dignitas played this and done her for free. It's a masterpiece.
11:56 you said you wanted to laugh many times. I love this album and it makes me laugh too. Yes, it is waaaay over the top and ridicolous. But that what i like about it. It puts a smile on my face. And yes, his "barking" vocals is funny, but they sound good at the same time. Nothing wrong with having fun with the music
I think you have to consider the time period in which this album was released. Death metal is at this point an "accepted" style, but many seminal original death metal bands had already hit their peak years prior. Where do you go with the music? Cryptopsy seems to aim recapture the "intensity" of what death metal must have felt like when it first came out. Yes this is one of the first "tech death" albums, but it is also one of the first "brutal death" metal albums. It crosses over into grindcore territory at times. I appreciate the raw spirit and energy of this album and its predecessor, Blasphemy Made Flesh. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.
My favorite death metal album. They managed to be as rhythmically intense as a grindcore band or a metalcore band like The Dillinger Escape Plan, without sacrificing the sort of black metal adjacent dark atmosphere and old school death metal melodious catchiness. I know that bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan came out after Cryptopsy and weren't an influence, I'm just saying that the sort of rhythmic intensity is similar. Which to me is a huge accomplishment, because I feel that most death metal acts tend to sacrifice either melody for rhythmic intensity, or vica versa. They struck such a perfect balance here, and the album is so steeped in dark atmosphere. Most death metal tends to sound cold to me, not really dark just intense. This totally breaks the trend.
I get you not really jelling with the vocals. I love them, they're eccentric. They're so comically death metal in a way that it makes them sound even more otherwordly than they would otherwise have been. I have a thing with eccentric vocals in extreme metal though (Weakling, Velvet Cacoon, Gorguts, I love all those odd vocal styles). Your response to the album actually highlights why I like it so much. To you it creates the impression of being a parody of deathcore or tech death. Sounding absurd to your ears. To me, it like the vocals, sounds eccentric. Kinda like how some people hear about chicken and waffles for the first time and think the entire concept is just Americans being over the top (and no it's the best brunch dish ever). There's a certain absurdity in the music that to me reflects a sort of boundless creativity and a sort of intentionality to create this surreal mood within the rhythmic brutality. If you're a fan, you love it. If you're not, it all just sounds kinda dumb. Really divisive (similar to my favorite metal band, Velvet Cacoon). That said, among Cryptopsy fandom, Lord Worm is a highly divisive vocalist. My second favorite extreme vocalist after Jon Chang from Discordance Axis.
Man. If you did more Lord Worm research I'm sure you'd see there's more depth of character to the lyrics than that. He's just obsessed with darkness. As you say the darker aspects of human nature. He's wickedly smart and has an odd sense of humor. Enormously well read. But good on you for making it through.
This was way too intense for me the first time I heard, but I liked it a lot more this time around. Really liked the use of the tremolo-picked melodies. The base was fun and the drumming was insane. The super guttural vocals aren't generally my favourite, but the more high pitched harshes were cool. Wish there was more of those. I strongly disagree with your point about this album maybe not being as popular if people knew what it was about. I don't think most people take the lyrics as seriously as you do. To them it's just a bunch of dark/evil lyrics to go with the brutality of the music. A lot of death metal is about insanity/murder/gore. That's not necessarily an endorsement of those things. I would think the lyrics on this album are more appreciated than most in the genre in fact because they're not just super edgy, they're very poetic and well-written in all their twisted depravity. This isn't to say you're wrong for being repulsed by them though. I do think it's unfair to cast aspersions about the band members' views aligning with the ideas in the lyrics or that these these lyrics are an outlet for their dark thoughts, so they don't go out and commit real crimes though. That last point was especially ridiculous.
I didn't mean to allude to the idea that all dark lyrics are masking intent, just that darker art *could* be used that way. I wonder if there's been any studies or polls regarding how seriously people take lyrics. It could be true that I'm the odd one out when it comes to taking lyrics seriously but I treat that aspect of music just like any other. It feels odd to me that someone would become a lyricist and then NOT put their every fiber into the words they write/sing -- at least outside of commercial art.
@@CriticalReactions I believe they put a lot of effort into it. There's no doubt about that. It's very artfully written. But maybe they have a passion for evil/dark themes similar to how people enjoy horror movies or other dark media. That doesn't mean they actually believe in the murder of religious people for example. I think cases like that are the exception. The vocalist of Shining (from Sweden), for example, actually believes people should commit suicide and hopes his music inspires people to do it. I think he's the very rare exception.
Also so much death metal has vocals that are too much tied up in tropes and technique. Lord worm is so personal and insane and really sets the bar for doing it in a pure way
@@CriticalReactions I'm with you, I also take lyrics very seriously. I watched your video about Apparition by Spawn of Possession (great analysis by the way) and it also has nasty lyrics, but the way Spawn wrote them, in my opinion, was in a way that condone such horrible things. I can understand people that don't take lyrics that seriously and I don't judge, it just isn't for me. I apreciaste deep and full of meaning lyrics just other aspects in music; it doesn't matter if the message is positive or negative, but the way they deliver it. That's why my favorite Death albums are Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance, the lyrics in these are just stelar, Chuck is my favorite composer of all time.
1:18:55 "that dude is walking, me walk so i copy him" Dude those are DIFFERENT. Slap and slide bass is not restricted to nu metal, syncopated rhythm is not restricted to nu metal. Nu metal matter of fact does not fking exist because it is a genre made by 1/13th of SOME albums.
Surprised that you picked another extreme metal band and for a full album: This album is a very important classic of Technical Death Metal and as you can hear from the drumming is hugely influential of modern day technical death metal bands. However I kinda think it's going to be tough for you to listen to a full album of just unadultered tech death metal and specially because Lord Worm as a vocalist is challenging and definitively an adquired taste even to fans of the genre. EDIT: No no, your first instinct was right: "Super Serious" and Lord Worm in terms of vocals and *specially* lyrics are two things that are on completely opposite places and that's exactly the way he wanted it if you ask me. EDIT 2: Also you're not wrong about the conclusion which is kinda what I was going for when I said this is definitively is *NOT* something to be taken seriously because Lord Worm sure as hell did not take himself or his vocals and lyrics seriously: the man that was famous for actually eating worms on stage and that quit the band after this record to pursue his dream job of working on a beer factory (Again not sure if serious but that was seriously the reason he gave for leaving at the time) is probably somebody who fits the meme of 'We demand to be taken seriously!' on Full kids magician costume.
Undersandable for sure, but you did hint as to the why already 1) This is still extreme music and challenging on it's own right 2) This comes from the 90s and it shows: Back in those 90s days metalheads really reached peak Edgelord tendencies as this is when all of the violent and gory bands really started to come out in full force. Mind you I'm not *justifiying or excusing* but merely pointing out that this kind of band was edgy 90s stuff through and through. I know more extreme and nastier bands exist today but the difference is that among metalheads these bands were a hell of a lot more popular so listening to really depraved and violent death metal or cartoonishly evil (Until the actual IRL crims were committed) Black Metal was kind of the norm for mainstream metal music back then, then it died down quite a bit into the more pallateable face of metal later on the 2000s and 2010s
@@CriticalReactions very common in the world of death metal. serious, difficult, technical music, with overtones of "we're having a lot of fun doing this and we don't take ourselves too seriously"
For some reason I like Cryptopsy first album called *Blasphemy Made Flesh* alot more then the second album, which is this one. Both is very similar, but for some reason I like the mixing more in the first album then this, also the bass is more present in the first album. I have always rate their drummer, Flo Mounier. He is a monster behind the drums, just imagine playing this insane for over 31 years. On the otherhand, hard times with the vocals, is just not connected with me at all, atleast Lord Worm had variation in he's vocals and always trying or add some little different, but with their new singer is just very static and is just someone just barking. So overall Cryptopsy is not I listen to often, but if I do is mostly from the first album.
The worst part about it is that some hipster bands took the constant "transitioning" of the entire structure of rhythm seriously and you got bands like Behind the Arctopus that just sounds like garbage without trying to sound disgusting. Same with Dysrhythmia. Its just pretentious
Carcass did the layered vocals way better if you ask me, with the two guitarists doing a duet in some tracks. They're pretty melodic as well besides their grindcore albums, which aren't bad either
you can laugh, brutal death metal and slamming brutal death metal are so much better when you can laugh at it while enjoying it. also vocal layering is super common you just went down the wrong path. dont go into technical death metal, go down into brutal death metal. you will hear the most insane comedically inhumane vocals youll ever hear
I think your analysis at the end is correct, it's like a heavy duty woodchipper with a bunch of bodies thrown inside it, and you're an afficionado of wood chipper engines and you're supposed to enjoy the sound of the engine while being sprayed with gore. Which normally makes little sense, but that's cause it's an analogy and it's still supposed to be death metal and not a woodchipper. Like most metal, if it were listened to at 120db or something, it really would be like getting hosed down with waves of sound, evil, disgusting and violent sounds, but driven underneath with skill. And yes, if you didn't come out the other side for some reason (for me, I also get cheered up by the over the topness of the tracks, like some other commenters said they do)...then you should just go home to momma...what did you buy a death metal album for if not getting the flaming hot cheetos (which some call one of the most extremely focused snacks ever ) version of it? IF they were cooks then they'd serve you a meal filled with MSG, or something. Which I can appreciate. It's probably impossible to cook a meal that tastes so over the top like one might expect from that meal, like, a steak tasting so over the top steaklike that you'd laugh or something, but they'd try to cook it.
I love all of your metaphors here. The woodchipper made me think of Fargo and now I might have to watch that again. Hadn't thought of that film in a long time. But I think you're really on point with the "a steak tasting so over the top steaklike" idea -- it's so absurd that it perfectly lines up with my experience here.
The comedy is intentional. Death metal in many ways is a parody, early death metal was ispired by really campy B-Horror films and cheesy 80's horror blockbusters, and musically, it came through grindcore (listen to Napalm Death's Scum). And, playing in a lot of death metal bands in the early 90's, we laughed at lot at how ridiculously over-the-top our music was. So, there is an odd mix of humor and seriousness in 80's and 90's death metal which isn't as clear in modern death metal. So, its interesting to have you say that you hear it in there, outside of its time period.
If you think the drums are crazy on this album, try New American Gospel, Lamb of God’s debut. The snare sounds like a piss bucket and the kick drums sound like slapping a leather sofa.
I love the fact that this album is rough around the edges for a technical dm album. So much of modern tech death has that horrible, crystal clear, plastic, uber-safe sound. I suppose we have Necrophagist to thank for that. 🤬
Please react to Kataklysm - Sorcery. They are a fellow French Canadian brutal technical death metal band but even more intense and ridiculous than Cryptopsy!
i think their next album, whispers of supremacy, got a little more polished. the riffs got more refined, mikes voice was much more "hardcore" so its more clean sounding than lord worms'. i think flo's dummer is super sloppy as much as it is blazing fast and chaotic which makes this record so good. its super raw, the bass is heavy as hell and worms' vocals are just brutal as hell
Whisper Supremacy by Cryptopsy was my first intro into this band, and only my 2nd intro into the death metal category (Bolt Thrower: mercenary was my first step into death metal). they may have some not as good later albums, but i always enjoy shuffling up there catalog while listening to them at work. for vocals i do prefer Mike DiSalvo witch i know i will get a lot of hate for.... not that i hate Lord Worms, just introduced to Mike's vocals first so that is what i got used to first
considering the current themes that you just had experienced i wonder how you will react if someone suggests pig destroyer's terryfer imao ! ( an absolute goregrind masterpiece with poetic and abstract lyrics)
I personally prefer Prowler in the yard with that lovely bit of cover artwork, hehe. To me thats pretty much perfect, lets say, tech or hifi grindcore album.
That thumbnail is perfect 😂 Love this album, managed to get into it after 3 tries, but really enjoy the riffs and the drumming. Never read the lyrics, didn't expect them to be so profoundly... vile, which does appeal to me ngl, interesting how insanely disgusting words can become 😅 And I love your analysis, after Draconian Times this is another review I've watched entirely. This just makes me more and more excited for a possibility of a review of Asulym Cave by Benighted.
@@MANGRINDER_band_ yeah, and scratches whatever itch I may have, pretty anti-depressing for me 😅 Though my favourite song is Mourning Affliction from the awesome Identisick, their whole discography is a solid journey
@@trve_ingvar identisick is pretty dope but I tend to prefer their latest stuff more. But yeah solid discography in general. Was supposed to see them with Archspire but couldn't go because Log and Kreator played the same day
@@MANGRINDER_band_ that's cool, wish I could go to some fests (can't because I'm Ukrainian). I've seen Kreator once already, but really want to see Benighted and Cattle Decapitation, as they're 2 of my favourites
I've been thinking for a while what we'd see if you were to react to a brutal death song... Suddenly a full album is far more than I expected, you're really getting thrown in head first! It'll be an interesting video to watch, for sure ;)
@@thegrimner Oh right, I somehow forgot about that entirely. For some reason I never think of Nile when I think brutal death, though even such a niche genre as brutal death has quite a wide span of how artists sound. Feel like Nile are closer to the tech side compared to bands like Cryptopsy or Vomit the Soul.
My friend brought his gangster friend from the hood into my car once and we played this album to get his reaction cause we knew it would be funny. He said the exact same thing as you that it sounded like a dog barking. Haha that's hilarious.
So in other words, you would say this album is... vile? Perhaps there are... None So Vile? :^) Thanks for being a free-thinker and taking the time to trudge through this record, I understand it's a tough listen for a first-timer. This album is "Brutal Death Metal", but I like to refer to it as "Gore-Jazz". Tbf it does have a lot in common with Jazz.
For sure. And that's probably the point here. Weirdly enough it took me until the very end of this video where I said something like "given the name of the album I should have known what I was in for" for everything to click for me.
The gore-jazz sound for me is encapsulated in their first album more than none so vile, with tracks like open face surgery, pathologic frolic or mutant Christ especially.
I recommend the track Ohmnivalent by Anomalous. It's a one of a kind tech-death album that plays with musical form in a way that I think you'll find very interesting.
Cryptopsy also had another album from 1994 called Blasphemy Made Flesh, which came out at the same time as Korn’s debut album. That album is much more of a true 50% brutal 50% technical death metal mix, the drums are crazier, guitars more varied, Lord Worm’s vocals are not as dog-barky, plus the bass sound features plenty o’ Korn slapping and jazz influence. If you have the time, you should definitely check it out!
