Norway’s Kryptograf came under my radar in 2022 with their sophomore release The Eldorado Spell. I loved it so much that I reviewed it, it was in my top 10 that year and I obtained their killer s/t debut.
The band plays a very heavy stoner doom/ psychedelic metal and with album number three – Kryptonomicon we get a killer Lovecraftian album cover and the music..well let’s get to that. This new album is 10 minutes shorter than the previous release, however the quality is brimming with heaviness and talent. There are fewer songs, but if there would have been as many as the last album this would have been most likely over an hour’s worth of material.
“Beyond the Horizon” gets things off to a start with a jumpy 70’s flair with all the original band members returning. Eivind Standal Moen – Bass, Eirik Arntsen – Drums, Vocals, Vegard Strand – Guitars, Vocals, and Odd Erlend Mikkelsen – Guitars, Vocals are here to slay us. With 75% of the band singing, many tones and vocals add to the various layers. The jumpiness gives way to a slower more atmospheric pacing then picks up with some wild guitar soloing and 70’s era guitar rippin’ solos. The guitar tone is that stoner doominess, yet you can make everything out, thanks to a stellar mix job.
“The Blade” opens and sounds a lot like Ian Blurton’s Future Now, especially in the main vocal delivery and has more Ghost influence regarding the galloping and song structures. The riffing is heavy and very catchy. The song picks up to a nice gallop and is very headbang-worthy. Excellent guitar melodies in the middle of the song. The guitar tones and sounds really emulate the 70’s perfectly, while still maintaining freshness to this genre.
“From Below” scales back the galloping moments in favor of the band’s signature doom stoner metal. The opening riff is heavy, yet mesmerizing with its catchiness. This is a lumbering beast until it picks up a bit and that Ghost vibe is ever so strong and there are some keys too. When I refer to Ghost I am mainly speaking about their first two albums. This song is one of the best Kryptograf has ever written. I actually think this would be a wild song to open in a live setting. The various tempo shifts really go quite well. The isolated guitar riff then explodes right into that Ghost-like gallop, which somewhat borders on thrash metal, yet is not quite as heavy.
“The Gales”, at over eight minutes, starts with killer galloping and synth organ like soundscapes. This is more upbeat and that Ghost influence is so ever present on this song. We get some acoustic action and more catchy galloping until the song slowly fades out, ending the album.
While I prefer Kryptograf’s earlier efforts, based on more of the doomy heaviness, Kryptonomicon is a pretty damn killer in its own right. This is more upbeat and as previously stated there are heavy Ghost and Ian Blurton Future Now influences. Since I love both bands I am good with that. I did want some doomier parts, but hey I’m not in the band. This is a real good eclectic heavy doomy psychedelic release
