While there have been rumours about the band going back on the trails of 1996’s “None So Vile”, people have also worried about whether the band could top its previous studio album, “And Then You’ll Beg”, of the newer style. To call “Once Was Not” a crossbreed of there two albums would be an understatement. And if Cryptopsy made an album of that kind, it wouldn’t spread any boundaries on today’s scene. There are a lot of the same elements than on “None So Vile”, but Cyptopsy has kept their sound so fresh that you could say they’re still moving forward on their path.

The sound is clear enough to hear what the musicians are doing, but there is also dirt to remind you about this being a death metal relese. What makes “Once Was Not” to stand out from today’s other death metal releases is their incredible musicianship and complexity of the songs, while the outcome is highly aggressive. After eight years’ absence Lord Worm shows that he can still pull it off. Drummer Flo Mounier in turn has adopted new techniques to make his drumming even faster. Neck-sprainig breakdowns and a few quieter parts tell that the band is still able to make its best to add dynamics in their already diverse style of extreme metal. The cover art, few samples and occasional symphonic add-ons implies of some kind of a battle theme, but the lack of lyrics in the promotional copy leaves the point unsealed. Cryptopsy has always been moving forward, that is for sure. So is the fact that this album is The death metal release of 2005.

written by Niko Kalliojärvi

Playing time: 49.40