3rd July 2023

Review: “One Girl, One Thousand Lacerations” by Kryptess

Hailing from Nottingham, Kryptess are a three piece Blackened Death Metal outfit who have been making their name on the live circuit since supporting Gamma Bomb in July 2022. Now, a year on the trio who are comprised of vocalist Elloise Cantrell, guitarist Tom Else and bassist Joel Wheeler (the later of whom are both former members of Cacodaemonic) have their debut EP fit for human consumption. Four tracks wrapped in a low budget horror film aesthetic that don’t lack anything in terms of sound quality…

Wailing like a banshee, Cantrell’s vocals are as barbed and vicious as they come and up their with the likes of Dani Filth and Alissa White-Gluz during the first cut “Devoted Desecration“, a ripper of Groove laden Death Metal set against the backdrop of what sounds like a very sympathetic drum machine. The riffs flow like blood from the veins, the buzz-saw tone giving the sound a solid spine with neck snapping, head bang-able intent. Wheeler’s bassline has been allowed to bleed into the mix at points during “Hell Infected” which gives it another textural dimension as Cantrell burrows her voice into the brain stem, intent on causing a haemorrhage. Her horror lyrics and storytelling capabilities are second to none while feeling as though she’s steered away from some of the gore that the lyrical narrative on this one could have had on purpose. That gives the sound a more tasteful, psychological feel in a similar way to bands like Strangle Wire, which is clever; you see the knife, you see the curtain, but the camera cuts away as you hear the scream so your brain fills in the gaps. Increasing the tempo with a sinister edge “Mourning Dawn“, is the pièce de résistance of the record; the familiar enough to have instantly gratifying appeal and get bodies swaying in the mosh pit on the first listen while having enough of a life of its own to be interesting in its own right. Savage and intense, there are fleeting clean vocals in background of the final verse that leave the door ajar for their appearance later in the bands career. They certainly don’t detract from the brutality of the cut or the record, instead offering an icy cold touch with their distance in the mix. A scream-a-long title track, “One Girl, One Thousand Lacerations” offers up a mid track cackle alongside a mountain of groove laden riffs and pummelling percussion which hits like a nail bomb. All that is lacking is a blistering, face melting solo, the adrenaline and menace carrying this making at as much fun as you can have without losing a limb [8/10]

Track Listing