Cryptic Hatred’s Nocturnal Sickness is a death metal kaleidoscope

During a recent interview for Chaos Zine, Jad Batrouny, of EOUI fame, mentioned a slew of up-and-coming Finnish bands—young torch bearers such as Gorekaust, Azatoth, and Cryptic Hatred—which made me wonder… Is Finland leading the world in death metal bands per capita?

Regardless of the answer, today is Cryptic Hatred’s hour of glory. After only two years of existence, Nocturnal Sickness, their first full-length album, is finally out on Helsinki’s The Other Records.

Despite its youth, Cryptic Hatred succeeded in channeling its collective passion to create a poignant homage to old school death metal. Now, calling the band’s music an homage does not lessen it in the slightest. Credit where credit’s due.

Cryptic Hatred’s songwriting, while reminiscent of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Death, expands on ancient formulas (1990 was 32 years ago!) to deliver a fresh corpse of mystifying, moldy, and forlorn death metal.

Nailed to Nocturnal Sickness’s coffin are hooks, grooves, and leads that will worm into your ears. The ten tracks flow like life—one that you don’t want to end too soon. And with each subsequent listen, you will pick up more and more of the uniqueness of Cryptic Hatred’s songcraft.

From the astral hook that is “Into The Depths,” by way of the single “Full Of Hate,” all the way down to “Eternal Horror,” Nocturnal Sickness is a death metal kaleidoscope where metaphorical reels rotate, musical parts move, changing the auditory reflection with each new track.

The cherry on the maggot-infested cake is the album’s production, a well-balanced act that lets every performance shine through. Also cherry is the album’s cover art, a stunning, crimson piece by Italian oil painter Paolo Girardi, which depicts some kind of otherworldly procession—a match made in hell.

Cryptic Hatred’s Nocturnal Sickness fills me with hope. Finland’s young death metal scene is so vibrant, it will no doubt start fires in other parts of the world.