Contemplating the unseen implications of technology-bound depersonalization and transhuman effects of the information age upon successive socially engineered generations Enschede, Netherlands-based progressive death/thrash metal trio Cryptosis return with this latest single/EP in their continued transformation as they keep the momentum hot while album number two is in the works. Having recently shed their old-school inspired retro thrash metal skin for a more sophisticated science fictive concept and refined prog-death inspired sound, ‘The Silent Call‘ finds these folks crafting increasingly elaborate, atmospheric pieces which lack none of the classicist perspective they’ve always brought to the task at hand. Here two transitional pieces, some old and unreleased and one new, serve to elaborate upon their lore and station while two live recordings prove they can pull these ambitions off in a live setting.

United as a trio circa 2013 under the name Distillator these folks would put in a few years work before readying their impressive neo-thrash debut ‘Revolutionary Cells‘ (2015) as one of the more notable names in the early history of Netherlands based label Empire Records who’d likewise brought us Chemicaust, Terrifier, etc. basically this is where a lot of thrash metal fans will recall their sound from and of course very few will see their style in Cryptosis as a natural step, it being very different than that debut. In some ways the seemingly Vektor-inspired riffcraft found on parts of ‘Summoning the Malicious‘ (2017) (see also: split with Space Chaser) seem to translate. More importantly, when I’d written about that album upon release my comments summed with: “With a name like Distillator I just always expect some kind of inane Tankard style beer metal drivel. While I don’t think these guys have put out a masterpiece in old school thrash yet, they’re coming closer with each release.” and it seems as their work began to rapidly evolve beyond that high point (it was a solid thrash record) their bigger ideas amounted to Cryptosis.

I’d not gotten to review ‘Bionic Swarm‘ in a timely manner as it’d released during a busy week in March of 2021 and I wouldn’t spend any serious time with it until early 2022 after seeing the band had taken on a serious touring schedule since then. As it turns out there was more to the Distillator-to-Cryptosis transformation than a shift in their themes. That debut (and easy-to-grasp concept album) found their style had evolved into something which still bore the Megadeth-like swing and some moments comparable to Coroner but I’d been surprised at some of the Nocturnus-esque bits on that debut (“Conjuring the Egoist”, “Decypher”) in hindsight. We actually find a bit more of that here on this EP, a style which briefly recalls the untouchable ‘Nocturnus‘ EP from 1993 in some loose aspect as the band incorporate keyboards and shredding a bit more as part of their larger oeuvre. A few years ago I’d have guessed their work would echo the anthemic style of Kreator these days with their own insertions in mind but it seems there is still some light behind the eyes here, an intelligence that knows itself well enough, which one’d hope doesn’t get washed away as their big-label, bigger crowds status carries on.

That is to suggest that the titular piece (“The Silent Call“) and “Master of Life” continue on directly from where they’d left off on ‘Bionic Swarm‘. In fact the former is an outtake from their 2021 album sessions and I’m not sure if the main single comes from those same recordings or if it points directly to their aims with album number two, which they’ve hinted at for 2024. Otherwise the EP includes live versions of “Prospect Of Immortality” and “Transcendence” which were recorded in Athens, Greece in November 2022. The main even is of course the title track and it immediately stands out in direct comparison with prior material for its heavy use of keyboards for both atmospheric and rhythmic effect , straying into a realm which has a bit more in common with melodic black metal around its apex (~3:30 minutes in) than one might’ve expected. My only thought after listening to “Master of Life” was that I’d hope that type of moody sci-fi feeling carries through to their second album as this piece might’ve stood out a great deal (for my own taste) were it included on the first album. This might seem like a lot of hype in preparation for a second album but I think between solid live performances, this EP and ‘Bionic Swarm‘ Cryptosis are making a great case for bigger and better things beyond their retro-thrash beginnings. A moderately high recommendation.

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