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CRYPTOPSY
An Insatiable Violence

Season Of Mist (2025)
Rating: 8/10

Grinding their gears for another slab of hostility, Montréal’s Cryptopsy unleashes its latest full-length opus as if time on Earth is running out. The blitz is expected, a full on tirade of battering rhythms and intricate structures which nod towards all previous records while maintaining a progressive push towards higher levels of extremity.

Somehow remaining technical yet simple in equal measure, An Insatiable Violence drags you into its lair with rapid motion as you are then flattened by the bestial chugs, namely through the destructive eyes of ‘Until There’s Nothing Left’, a genuine feast of weight which made my bones ache. And then there are the literal brain scramblers; ‘Our Great Deception’ for one, peppered with the dazzling bass work of Olivier Pinard.

In my opinion, Cryptopsy has always compelled and repelled me, with their brand of persistent violence a somewhat blurriness of technical brutality that seems to drain rather than entertain. However, there’s no denying the visceral impact of the band as Matt McGachy continues his guttural growth spurt into the lower levels of growl.

There’s some fantastic musicianship on display here; the solo on ‘The Nimis Adoration’ is sublime, the groove on ‘Malicious Needs’ infectious, and ‘The Art Of Emptiness’ is staggeringly savage. The anticipated bursts of jarring speed are acquired taste weapons of mass annihilation that I had to sit with for a while in order to fully understand their depth and skill set of mind mangling.

Flo Mounier is a colossus behind the drum kit; it’s as if every beat is delivered like a hammer to the skull. ‘Dead Eyes Replete’ and ‘Embrace The Nihility’ both showcase the ability of guitarist Christian Donaldson – not that I ever questioned his talents. “The vortex has consumed us all,” bellows McGachy on ‘Embrace The Nihility’, and that’s exactly how I feel when I hear Cryptopsy.

Neil Arnold

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