Album Details

• Artist: Crypticus/scaremaker
• Album: Split Cd
• Label: Selfmadegod
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2012-01-31

That this split CD of horror, thrash and death metal begins with the lines from opening of the old and still creepy "Lights Out" radio show is a good sign. Both Crypticus and Scaremaker deliver songs heavy on the visceral atmosphere of dread; like that great radio show, there is little fat; both bands hit the ground hard and never slip into the cheesy, a constant threat in the genre.

Though mostly fueled by black metal, the four tracks by Crypticus also display some solid thrash chops. While the croaking and soupy "Beauty & Deceased" is the most representative of their sound, "End The World Of Men" is brilliant, short thrash.

The final five cuts by Scaremaker cover similar ground, but their sound is more expansive and deliberate. Most of the time that works, as on the hard thrash of "Insane Die-Section" and the broody, brilliant closer "Mansion Of The Macabre," an atmospheric and majestic classic. Really the only slip they make, and the only clunker on the CD as a whole, is the prog-ish "Demon Slave," in which the Geddy Lee-esque female vocals are a jarring step down from the overall power of the sets.

Both Crypticus and Scaremaker please fans and ought to draw in new ones with this split CD, which is another winner by Poland's massive Selfmadegod label.

User Reviews and Comments