Kryptan - Violence, Our Power

Angry Metal Guy

Atmospheric black metal band Kryptan is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and thirty-plus-year Swedish metal scene veteran Mattias Norrman. Having spent a decade (1999-2009) as the bassist for Katatonia, Norrman is now most known for his guitar work in October Tide and Moondark. Long influenced and fascinated by black metal, however, especially the Norwegian and Swedish scenes of the nineties, Kryptan represents a passion project, providing Norrman an outlet for yet another avenue of extreme exhibition. Formed in 2020 with fellow October Tide and Moondark vocalist Alexander Högbom, Kryptan released a 2021 self-titled EP with Debemur Morti Productions. Blurbily described by new label Edged Circle Productions as ‘children of the plague and enthusiasts of the sinister,’ Kryptan prepares to offer an official statement of intent with its debut album, Violence, Our Power. Having covered Moondark‘s thirty-years-in-the-making debut album,¹ I was excited to write my first review with some connective tissue on the bone, which left me with only one question: is Kryptan any good?

Kryptan‘s black metal comes draped in the heaviest of Swedish shrouds. Full of dissonantly lilting strums that float and sway among trilly leads and punk-edgy riffs (“Det är döden som krävs”), Norrman tosses in a dash of speedy Dissection (“Violence, Our Power”) here and a sprinkle of Shining (“Vägen til’ våld”) there to spice up the chalice of blood you’ll drink from during the full-on Watainic rite that is Violence, Our Power. Leave the noisome, Rabid Death’s Curse-like rawness in the basement, Kryptan wears its Sworn to the Dark heart on its sleeve, reveling in Lawless Darkness levels of sonic worship. A deftly injected dose of keyboards rounds out Kryptan‘s sonic palette, adding compelling synth-phonics without ever spilling over into complete Ihsahn-mode. And while Christian Larsson’s mix doesn’t leave much room for Norrman’s bassinations to surface,² there’s a bottom-heavy warmth to the sound on Violence, Our Power that works, allowing Victor Parri’s capable session drum work to drive the synth-infused riffastation.

Violence, Our Power by Kryptan

Mattias Norrman’s trachea-crushing grip on conjuring a swanky Swedish black metal sound means Violence, Our Power is an album full of highlights, and still, Alexander Högbom’s vocal performance elevates the package with voracious variety.³ Högbom manifests his inner Erik Danielsson effectively across the entire Violence, Our Powerscape, lending extra menace to the guttural growls of the chorus from “I Hope They Die” to the Kvarforthian wailings of “Vägen til’ våld,” the pain emoted in his languished shouts and howls (“The Miracle Inside” and “Purge”) is all but undeniable.

Violence, Our Power is a strong enough album that it would have held its own against anything released in the Swedish scene from 2005 to 2010. While this indicates, nearly fifteen years later, that Kryptan is not at all interested in pushing the boundaries of black metal to new heights, I give them points for executing at such a high level. From the just-enough-to-leave-me-wanting-more runtime of forty minutes to the cover art, a beautifully rendered ink illustration by German occult artist Ikosidio, Violence, Our Power is the total package and would have had me dropping cold hard cash sight unheard back in the day. My critiques, though minor, lie mainly with the unnecessary intro, “The Unheard Plea from Thousands of Broken Hands,” and the sheer derivative veneration of Watain worship on display, which could turn some listeners off.⁴

I was so impressed by Violence, Our Power that I wondered why it took Norrman so long to execute his black metal vision. Kryptan has not produced anything so groundbreaking as to land at the top of any year-end lists, but I’ll be damned if it’s not worth your time. Those yearning for that pre The Wild Hunt era Watain sound would be well-advised to listen to Kryptan‘s Violence, Our Power. The super catchy chorus of album closer “Let Us End This” will cling to the synapses of your brain long after the album has ended and what better way to end this review than by citing my favorite song, my eyes and ears sharply peeled for what Kryptan does next.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Edged Circle Productions | Bandcamp
Websites: kryptan.bandcamp.com | kryptan.net
Releases Worldwide: February 14, 2025

The post Kryptan – Violence, Our Power Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.