Cruentus – Fossilized
Cruentus – Fossilized
Kvlt Und Kaos Productions
Release Date: 15/07/22
Running Time: 41:00
Review by Paul Hutchings
8/10
Formed in Norrköping, Sweden, in 1998, Cruentus is a two-man project comprising Martin Öhman and Petter Bocian. Originally a three-piece, the band draw their influences from the Scandinavian extreme scene of the 1990s. Listen to “Fossilized” and you’ll catch glimpses of bands such as Edge of Sanity, Dissection, Entombed, At the Gates, Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity.
It took over a decade for the band to deliver a full-length album, 2020’s “Night Embrace Me,” which one might suggest was drawn very much from the rather similar sounding Emperor album. With album number two, Cruentus have drawn even deeper on their old school roots, for this is a record that belongs deep in the underground. Over the 41 minutes which the ten tracks cover, you’ll find everything that you’d expect. Shimmering banks of tremolo riffing, harrowing, strangulated roars of pain and despair, and frantic explosions of blast beats that speed the songs along.
“Fossilized” is unsurprisingly a viciously aggressive release. Intro ‘Ascending’ leads into the potent ‘The Catalyst,’ followed quickly by the punishing ‘Nihil Extra,’ which ebbs and flows but generally maintains the intensity, the slower tempos accentuating the sinister feel of the track. There’s more than a nod to the likes of Entombed as the album progresses. ‘Prey’ is a sprawling monster, whilst there is a savagery that broods with malevolence under the surface on ‘Relentless Scourge.’
It does change pace several times. The likes of ‘Averted Reality’ demonstrates the more complex and intricate writing that the band have developed, and there is a real organic flow to the music. Combining pace and melody isn’t something that many bands do well, but this album does capture that.
With a third album already in the works, it’s fair to say that Cruentus are homing in on the black metal upper echelons. An album with heart, albeit a dark and blackened one. Go get it.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Ascending
02. The Catalyst
03. Nihil Ultra
04. Mot Altets Slut
05. The Lost Ones
06. Prey
07. Relentless Scourge
08. Averted Reality
09. Doldrums
10. Primordial Reprisal
LINE-UP:
Petter Bocian – vocals, drums
Martin Ohman – guitar, bass, vocals
LINKS:
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