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Karybdis - From The Depths review




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Band: Karybdis
Album: From The Depths
Style: Melodic death metal, Thrash metal
Release date: July 2012


01. Minotaur
02. From The Depths
03. Without Wings
04. Arson Aesthetics
05. Worth It
06. I Say
07. Medusa
08. Maelstrom
09. The Hour Glass
10. DeathToll

Karybdis is a British extreme metal band that is as hard to pigeonhole as it is to actually stick a live pigeon in a hole. Elements of metalcore, melodic death metal and groove thrash all contribute to Karybdis' unique take on technical death metal and From The Depths is indeed a testament that extreme metal can still be as potent as a date rapist's cocktail. Fortunately, while Karybdis will most certainly violate you, I think it is safe to say that you'll be back for more.

The reason for this is that there is no shortage of impressive and very memorable riffs on From The Depths, while the band's approach to songwriting is as varied as makeup on a blind girl's face. Overblown concept albums are about as welcome in death metal as chlamydia is at an orgy, but Karybdis do manage to pull it off here with much gusto and class. The album's apocalyptic narrative is very aptly enhanced by the venomous vibe of crunchy guitars, as well as the harsh yet clear production of the album. What sets Karybdis apart the most is their ephemeral melodic leads that weave threads of discord around the band's addictive riffs, such as in the unsettling "Medusa" or the vicious "Without Wings". Carcass might have pioneered the same basic approach years ago, but what sets Karybdis (along with peers Aesth) apart is that there is a distinct, menacing alien sound here that propels these composition to a whole new level. In Karybdis's case, the alien entity in question emerges From The Depths of the ancient Greek mythology present in this album's narrative and captured very aptly by its striking cover art.

I could easily wax poetic more about From The Depths but instead I'll poetically urge you to clean that wax out of your filthy ears and check it out. I guess glowing reviews like this are boring but I really enjoyed the fuck out of this album and that is all that needs to be said.





Written on 29.06.2012 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 186 users
29.06.2012 - 06:43
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
If these guys sound anything like Aesth I'm not going to agree with a single word of this review.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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29.06.2012 - 10:52
K✞ulu
Seeker of Truth
Mmm... great review! Will check this out. Thanks!
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Savor what you feel and what you see
Things that may not seem important now
But may be tomorrow

R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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29.06.2012 - 11:10
Milena
gloom cookie
Good to read from you once again, even if the band doesn't interest me.
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7.0 means the album is good
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29.06.2012 - 12:28
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Troy Killjoy on 29.06.2012 at 06:43

If these guys sound anything like Aesth I'm not going to agree with a single word of this review.


Well, he didn't exactly compare them but I hope you are right anyways because this review really excited me.... and I didn't like Aesth that much.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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29.06.2012 - 15:16
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
With that cover I was expecting Funeral Doom.

:/
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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29.06.2012 - 16:02
Druss

Written by Boxcar Willy on 29.06.2012 at 15:16

With that cover I was expecting Funeral Doom.

:/

Lol, I was listening to In Mourning's Weight Of Oceans when I saw the cover, so I think my initial guess was more in the ballpark

Great review, jupitreas, loving those humurous analogies wish you'd get up to reviewing a bit more often, your ones are always a good laugh.
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29.06.2012 - 16:17
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Hm... pretty standard melodic death thrash with hints of symphonic elements thanks to some violin/cello work, but overall the chugging riffs and Carcass/Arch Enemy vibe don't give me any reason to believe this is something worthwhile. They definitely know how to write some groovy licks and they manage to incorporate some technicality into their compositions, but never to the point of rivaling the likes of Machine Head or Lamb of God in terms of groove, or virtually any tech-death band for technicality. The mixture is nice and all but it's definitely not unique or crushing to these ears. I think The Wretched End's take on this is superior, but that's possibly due to the fact I appreciate their more aggressive approach and old-school feel. And the more extreme vocals, as the sort of shouty -core vocals here throw me off at points.

This seems to be a very mechanical by-the-numbers kind of release, although I suppose I understand how you can praise it. It features a variety of elements that, if all appreciated individually, probably make for an immense listen when combined together as they have been here.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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29.06.2012 - 17:20
jupitreas
hi-fi / lo-life
Written by Troy Killjoy on 29.06.2012 at 16:17

Hm... pretty standard melodic death thrash with hints of symphonic elements thanks to some violin/cello work, but overall the chugging riffs and Carcass/Arch Enemy vibe don't give me any reason to believe this is something worthwhile. They definitely know how to write some groovy licks and they manage to incorporate some technicality into their compositions, but never to the point of rivaling the likes of Machine Head or Lamb of God in terms of groove, or virtually any tech-death band for technicality. The mixture is nice and all but it's definitely not unique or crushing to these ears. I think The Wretched End's take on this is superior, but that's possibly due to the fact I appreciate their more aggressive approach and old-school feel. And the more extreme vocals, as the sort of shouty -core vocals here throw me off at points.

This seems to be a very mechanical by-the-numbers kind of release, although I suppose I understand how you can praise it. It features a variety of elements that, if all appreciated individually, probably make for an immense listen when combined together as they have been here.


Well, its definitely not an old-school release and the vocals are indeed in a metalcore shouty style. So if that isnt your thing, you probably won't apprieciate it as much. Personally I can't stand either Machine Head or Lamb Of God, so this is far superior in my eyes.
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29.06.2012 - 21:26
Rating: 7
BloodTears
ANA-thema
I like this cover a lot, I'm also very curious about the music now.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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01.07.2012 - 14:52
qlacs
"The Quaker"
Written by Troy Killjoy on 29.06.2012 at 06:43

If these guys sound anything like Aesth I'm not going to agree with a single word of this review.

Hahaha - agreed.

I don't believe it's such good as described but due to the imposing cover I'll check this one.
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24.10.2012 - 21:21
BaneConall
Fart Enthusiast
I've only listened to part of one song but it's kind of reminding me of earlier Sylosis right now. Somewhat ...
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