Band:	Crypta
Album:	Echoes Of The Soul
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	June 2021

01. Awakening
02. Starvation
03. Possessed
04. Death Arcana
05. Shadow Within
06. Under The Black Wings
07. Kali
08. Blood Stained Heritage
09. Dark Night Of The Soul
10. From The Ashes

On-point Brazilian old school death metal mastered by Jens Brogen.

Got your attention? Good. Echoes of the Soul is the maiden voyage for Crypta, a Brazilian-based death metal band with a bright future and mad skills. Featuring Fernanda Lira (bass guitar, harsh vocals) and Luana Dametto (drums) both ex-Nervosa, Crypta impresses track after track with classic-sounding death metal with a fresh take on guitars provided by the duo of Tainá Bergamaschi and the Dutch-sensation Sonia "Anubis" Nusselder.

Very much the sonic spiting image of the single "From the Ashes", all of the songs featured here are intensely direct, oddly memorable and delightfully old school. Expect nothing less than the tried-and-true formula, although it is veering at times from traditional death metal towards a darker, blacker metal shade a la Dark Funeral. Fernanda's vocals are uncompromisingly harsh and provide the fitting backdrop for the technical mastery fest that is going on on all levels. The screaming opening vocals on the track "Starvation" set the tone perfectly. Duana's drumming is outstanding and manages to still capture that tasty softer rhythmic sound that comes with drummers from Brazil. The bass lines are crushing and groovy throughout. Ultimately though, the guitar work won me over. Every song has massive riffs and plenty of dramatic solos. From the old Sepultura-vibe on "Possessed" to the Dissection-vibe on "Shadow Within", Tainá and Sonia know their influences and are true guitar masters.

So while the style calls for very little improvisation and typically leaves little room for fancy, this album is overall very strong. Somehow all of those little extras are done perfectly. It also kind of goes crescendo, with the three best offerings stacked back-to-back-to-back to end Echoes of the Soul on a high note. You get a triple dose of goodness with the groove of "Blood Stained Heritage", the killer mid-tempo of "Dark Night of the Soul" with the bonus of that amazing guitar solo, and the powerful unrepentant finisher that is "From the Ashes".

Echoes of the Soul is a massively impressive debut. The recipe might be a little rigid as the death metal style calls for that, but the execution is flawless. The songs all have a fullness and enough spice that keep pulling me back for another listen. And yes, this is an all female death metal band. But when all is said and done, that is really secondary. The music speaks for itself. I am already looking forward to hearing more from them in the near future. Long live Crypta.