Crionics

Despite clinging to the boundaries of black metal like a frightened child to its mother, Crionics deploys a variety of techniques to distinguish themselves from the pack. "Arrival of Non Parallel Aeons” opens the record with blast beats and a steady stream of tremolo melodies, bearing a heavy resemblance to metal megaliths Emperor. Unsurprisingly, a cover of "The Loss and Curse of Reverence” from Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is included as a bonus track. The use of keyboards to build tension brings the high-speed riffs to the climatic heights Dimmu Borgir has recently popularised. The vocals are layered heavily and demonically stylised. This brief description essentially sums up the album, but there are still a notable number of hooks to sink your claws into. Breakdowns are placed carefully to add the perfect dose of time manipulation into the mix. Quirky tags are added to finish off repetitive riffs and the drumming even strays from double bass every once in a while. Their sound adventures through mountains of reverb, but still translates relatively clearly. The artwork is the weakest part of Crionic’s package, baring the done-to-death image of a blood Christ crowned in thorns, begging the question, will metal get over it’s Christian inferiority complex?