Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Cryptopsy - None So Vile (1996)

In the film Twister, the storm chasing crew speak in hushed tones about the "finger of God".  This referred to an F5 category tornado, a terrifying and dangerous thing that by Bill Paxton's character's own admission "few have stared one in the face and survived."  You can apply a similar reference to Cryptopsy's sophomore release from 1996, such is the ferocity of the maelstrom that presents itself across these eight tracks of brutal and unsympathetic death metal.

At the end of the record, a snippet invites us to run home and cry to our momma's, or words to that effect.  For me the correct reaction would be to run home to your whole family and tell them what a fucking force of nature Cryptopsy are and how you stared None So Vile in the face and survived.

A couple of points of note for anyone unfortunate enough to never have experienced this record.  Firstly, this is the kind of record that gets talked about in the same hushed tones as would Scream Bloody Gore, Blessed Are The Sick, Pierced From Within and Cause of Death.  Here be death metal nobility, all kneel before your master.  Secondly, drummer Flo Mounier does only have two arms.  It may sound like they have an octopus or that he is a Siamese twin, but there is only one of him and he is but a man.  Quite how one man can create such a furious and flawless performance defies the laws of science, but alas the evidence is there for all to see.

Equally accountable for the swirling hostility of the record is vocalist Lord Worm who howls and gasps manically on track after track literally spewing hatred forth for thirty two minutes.  Let's not forget the sonic wizardry of Jon Levasseur who as well delivering scorching leads also maintains frenetic riffing accompanied by the clunking bass of Eric Langlois.

So there you are, if you are about to listen to this record for the first time, strap yourself to something solid first.