Band:	Cryptic Hatred
Album:	Internal Torment
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	July 05, 2024
Guest review by:	Blackcrowe

01. Death Is Upon You
02. Breeding Of Evil
03. Chasm Of Void
04. Homicidal Intentions
05. Mesmerized By The Malignant Gaze
06. Tomb Of Desecration
07. Mauled To Flesh
08. Beyond Hatred
09. The Passage
10. Internal Torment

The Finnish Hatred.

Cryptic Hatred is a Finnish band that truly impressed me with their exceptional release, Internal Torment. One of the best death metal releases on 2024, this album combines unrelenting brutality with atmospheric sounds, marking a significant twist in their style.

Formed in 2019, when the members aged between 15 and 16 years old, Cryptic Hatred have followed a promissory roads since then, with first their 2022 full-length Nocturnal Sickness. The band draws inspiration from Dismember, Grotesque, Autopsy, and early Cannibal Corpse, but they don’t imitate influences, just take them as reference. Instead, they craft a distinctive sound that blends the best of old-school death metal with their own creative flair. Started as a four-piece, the band now performs as a trio of Miska Hagelberg (bass), Tatu Saves (drums), and Eemil Lajoma (guitars, vocals).

With Internal Torment, Cryptic Hatred takes a step forward. Tracks like “Breeding Of Evil” or “Mauled To Flesh” are highlights, on an album that shows ferocity, but with focus on melody and atmosphere. Compared to their debut, which leaned heavily on a classic death metal, this record incorporates layers of tension and tranquility. Eemil Lajona’s fantastic melodic guitar solos, reminiscent of Hank Sherman’s work, add an unexpected welcome dynamic to the album.

The production quality is another improvement, giving their sound a sharper, more polished tone; this refinement sounds great, reflecting a band maturing in skill and vision.

The ten tracks on Internal Torment deliver a compelling blend of savagery and sophistication. They maintain the brutal intensity of classic death metal while weaving in unsettling melodies and death doom influences, resulting in songs that are unrelentingly heavy. The way that the album pushes their skills without abandoning genre roots is particularly impressive.

Cryptic Hatred with Internal Torment deserves more attention. Offering a brutal and innovative listening experience by combining the aggression of old-school Florida death metal with atmospheric experimentation, the band has crafted one of the standout traditional death metal releases. Two or three years on from the pandemic, it seems our ears have become less demanding again, and we’re starting to appreciate albums that we might not have appreciated in the same way before. In a year full of releases and truly mediocre albums, I believe this record stands out in some way.