Band:	Krypteia
Album:	Avodah Zarah
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	2011
A review by:	Daniell

01. Sons Of Geburah
02. The Dawning Apocalypse
03. Unfolding Decay
04. A Distorted Reflection
05. Creation Of Godlike Creatures
06. Post Mortal Queen
07. The Final Summoning

Even though I don't consider Metal Archives the ultimate source of knowledge about metal bands, I did raise an eyebrow when I couldn't find Krypteia there. Two albums in their discography should be enough for someone to put them there. Well, I think it's time to register and do it myself...

The band doesn't try to reinvent the wheel nor do they struggle to be original. Instead, they serve us a few songs for our enjoyment. Avodah Zarah is exactly that - thirty plus minutes of unpretentious, in-your-face midtempo black metal. All that embedded in clear, powerful production which manages to remain appropriately dirty and repulsive.

What really got me into this album were the riffs. They're not of your run-of-the-mill archetypical tremolo picking variety. Slightly thrashy, occasionally death metal-ish, but all the time engaging and interesting. Drumming nicely adds to the good impression with its frequent tempo and time changes. Every song carries some significance; they don't merge into an indistinct mass, which is sadly the case with many other releases. It could be due to the fact that the album has only seven songs, two of which are atmospheric interludes. Especially ?Unfolding Decay" grabs attention - it sounds like a soundtrack from a good horror movie. What's left are five real songs, but this time less quantity means good quality. The high point is probably ?A Distorted Reflection" - the longest and most varied, with a good build-up from slow tempos to speed-ups here and there. The aforementioned riffs are the best exactly in this song.

All in all, this is a solid album that almost nobody in the world took notice of. A shame, really.