For more than fifteen years in meantime, the German label Iron Bonehead brings highly qualitative releases that dwell within the sleaziest spheres of underground-oriented Thrash / Black / Speed / Death Metal (the European answer on Hells Headbangers???). But as from a couple of years ago on, they did sort of conquer the hard-metallic worlds with an increasing number of releases that aren’t here but to please undersigned ear drums. Respect!
Anyway, before I start crying… Ancient Crypts hail from Santiago, Chile, and were formed last year by Invincible Force’s Skullfukk on drums, and guitar player / vocalist Nyarlathotep of Unaussprechlichen Kulten-fame (also formerly active in defunct Nuklear Strike, by the way). The duo recorded two songs at the end of last year, which were released as promo to get the attention of a decent label, and luckily Iron Bonehead were the smart winners to offer Ancient Crypts a deal. This resulted in the recording of two more tracks, and the four of them (both promo-compositions and both new ones) were recently released on tape (pro-printed cassette) under the name of Devoured By Serpents.
Ancient Crypts bring a very obscure, oppressive and pounding form of old schooled Death Metal Superiority. The first Doom-laden (instrumental) minutes of opener Deep Into The Ancient Crypts, for example, combine elements from very early Samael, Paradise Lost and more of this grotesquery, but after a while it turns into filthy and nasty, brutally enjoyable Death Chaos à la the Old School from both North America and Europe (with the German, Dutch and, especially, the Swedish scene coming to mind). It surely reminds me to some of the earlier material done by e.g. Incantation, Asphyx, Grave, Bolt Thrower, Immolation and Autopsy, or more recent stuff by Dead Congregation, Graveyard (the one from Spain), The Wakedead Gathering, Grave Miasma or Necros Christos. Passé, you might think? Yes, indeed it is, for this sounds as if it were written two decades or more ago. Lacking of originality? Without any doubt, for the comparisons mentioned above are the structural elements of these four tracks. Skip it? No, certainly not! Just like fellow-countrymen of Cruciamentum, Dominus Xul or Nar Mattaru, this stuff reaches the level of those cult-bands easily, and a melancholic soul as I am (and so will all fans of aforementioned bands) will recognise and appreciate the quality of this material. On top of it, the sound fits perfectly to the whole. I was afraid to hear an under-produced, inferior mess, but I am glad to admit that I was wrong!