Did Cryptopsy Sell Out?

Why is it that once a band gains some degree of success they are forever condemned to be pigeon held in that genre until death? After all, shouldn't the trade mark of a real musician be his ability to grow as an artist and continue to innovate his craft?

The reason I bring this up is because I recently acquired the latest Cryptopst album tittled The Unspoken King. Having very little exposure to Cryptopsy in the past (though I did see them live in 1999 and 2011) I thought it was a good album. My impression of the album was positive because initially I dismissed Cryptopsy as a typical Death Metal band no different than the rest: a lot of intense riffs with little contras. But with The Unspoken King, I had an album with brutal riffs and blast beats contrasted with slow melodic parts that incorporated clean vocals. To me it sounded like a mature album that combined sophistication without compromising its brutality. That is why I was dissapointed and surprised when I came across this passage on their wikipedia page:

" The new lineup released The Unspoken King on June 24, 2008. The album was subject to a backlash from fans of the band's previous works, due to the album's metalcore influence and the addition of clean singing....The band has announced via MySpace and Facebook that the new material is to be a return to the former sound of Cryptopsy with a modern touch. Raymond [the bassist] has stated in Youtube comments that the new album will not feature the clean vocals present on The Unspoken King."

The first question I have for the so called "fans of the band's previous work" is this: do you truly believe that the band was trying to get commercial success with The Unspoken King? If so, then it is obvious that you haven't listened to commercial radio in a long time. There is nothing on the airwaves that is remotely as heavy and aggressive as The Unspoken King. That album is full of dethmetal riffs, growling vocals, and blast beats. It will never be considered commercial or get any recognition from the main street establishment. It is a death metal album.

The whole "controversy" sparking this backlash revolves around two short parts, during two separate songs, where the band goes into a breakdown in which clean vocals are incorporated. The total length of that album is 47:06 minutes and the clean vocals take up a whooping 2 minutes. So lets recap, Cryptopsy sold out because in 47 minutes of music, two minutes included lean vocals?

Could that be all? Is the only thing annoying the so called "true fans" are measly 2 minutes of clean vocals? I figured that The Unspoken King must pale in comparison to the bands previous catalogue. I decided to download the rest of the bands discography and compare. I started with what is suppose to be Cyrptopsy's break through album Whisper Supremacy (1998). After a good listen, I have to say that it's a very good album. According to Wikipedia, "[The album] took Cryptopsy's style further, incorporating some jazz and fusion elements." However, in my opinion it's not as progressive as The Unspoken King. When comparing the the two albums, The Unspoken King is more mature in sound. The different layers of harmony and poly rhythms give it quite a sophisticated feel. Also, It includes much more Fusion elements then Whisper Supremacy.



If I could give Cryptopsy a piece of advice it would be to continue building on the foundation of The Unspoken King, but I guess I'm just a lone voice amids screams of animosity spewed by the so called "true fans." Maybe the "true fans" haven't bother to find out that Cryptopsy is a band with a high change over rate of members. In fact, the only member who has been in the band since the yearly years is the drummer Flo Mounier. The rest of the members weren't even in the band when Whispers Supremacy was recorded!

In conclusion, people need to be a little open minded when it comes to bands wanting to evolve in their sound. Not every change in musical style needs to be labeled as selling out. When Megadeth went from hard pounding, guitar driven, metal that you find on their album Rust in Peace to three minute pop songs found on Risk, that was selling out. Cryptopsy adding 2 minutes of clean vocals on a 47 minute album is called progress.

For the people who are unfamiliar with the album, the following song is a good example of the shift in style taken by the band.