Entartung - Krypteia [World Terror Committee - 2012]"Krypteia" is the debut full length album by Entartung , a young German black metal duo. Quite appropriately for a kvlt underground black metal act, there is not much information available about them besides their cryptic monickers, but judging by the quality of their work in offer here I assume they're not complete newcomers. The album starts right away with an explosion of desolate, desperate and epic black metal. "Flucht In Die Finsternis". Simple and repetitive guitar riffs, unrelenting blast beats, cold and clear production, gargling vocals make for an excellent jump in the past. The track's impending sense of total dread, discomfort and desolation will permeate all the rest of the album, so if you're looking for rock and rollish black metal, turn elsewhere.
The following track, "Der Sieg der Vergänglichkeit", follows pretty much the same path, if not for the slower pace and the heavy use of atmospheric keyboards. In fact I must salute Entartung for implementing keyboards in their sound in a decent and thoughtful way: they work as an excellent moody carpet for the other instruments. "Über die Grenzen des Todes" is even more epic, reminding me of a better-recorded version of Burzum's classics. Entartung's overly zealous sound could sound corny to those into dirtier black metal, but it works pretty well. The rest of "Krypteia" proceeds pretty much as expected, with a few variations in vocal delivery and keyboard solutions. All the songs are solid and easily enjoyable despite their length (the shortest marks at around six minutes). If I have to pick a favorite, it must be the album's final track "Wenn die Jagd beginnt(Christenverfolgung)", for the overall grandeur, for the great keyboard/chanting sounds and for the inventive composition and riffing.
In conclusion this is yet another interesting German black metal album from the World Terror Committee lable. If you're curious about black metal sounds from Mittel-Europa don't hesitate to try this album. Nicola Vinciguerra
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