CRYPTOPSY - ONCE WAS NOT published November 2005, Zero Magazine

What do most metal bands have in common? They all love Cryptopsy. This band, having been around for more than a decade, can and damn well should be known as a seminal metal outfit. Yet don't think ten years plus has in any way wore down the intrinsic energy of their special brand of sound bombardment.

Once Was Not is an eleven track heart attack. No, scratch that. Heart attacks aren't as sadistic. A coronary for the most part will not allow you little breaks to catch your breath just to sustain you from passing out. This album likes its victims live, aware and blown away.

It's so nice to hear a metal band that doesn't neglect tone color. Chunky guitars, crazy time signatures and blast beats are fun and hard to get tired of when brutally arranged. Yet actual notes, solos and harmonies can end up neglected. Cryptopsy fulfills this with splendid guitar that would only be silky if slowed down. Not that we would ever want them to slow down, right?

Because their influence on all kinds of great bands, you can say that Cryptopsy is a platter of all your favorite things metal. Take the crazy structure of Dillinger Escape Plan, the gruff vocal styles of Cannible Corpse and Gwar, and the ambience of Meshuggah.