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Unearthing the Metal Underground: Finland's Kryptamok

Finland is home to seemingly countless metal bands, so much so that you may have encountered a regularly recycled meme depicting a promo pic of a band in the forest that includes the caption: “75% of a Finnish park ranger’s job is rescuing metal bands that get lost shooting album covers”. Levity aside, Finland boasts a rich history of black metal, from Beherit and Impaled Nazarene to Sargeist and Horna. There’s a newer kid on the block who isn’t exactly paving new ground, but the passion and drive behind their timeless black metal makes them worthy of attention. While Kryptamok only has a demo and a full-length under its collective bullet belt, they’re poised to raise hell once again.

The Finnish horde will be releasing its sophomore effort, “Kataklysmi,” on July 17 through Purity Through Fire. While passionate and captivating, Kryptamok’s previous work was definitely standard in approach. “Kataklysmi,” however, maintains the traditionalist approach while adding an undeniable element of frenzy, tension and madness. A song like “Laulakaa Tulesta, Laulakaa Lieke” is just as epic and dramatic as it is melodic, while “Havityksen Ensimmainen Askel” maintains the sense of drama but delivers it with scathing sonic violence.

Jay H. Gorania is a long time metal journalist and sings for Trench Warfare. He also writes for Blabbermouth and Hellbound.ca and has in the past edited for Pit and written for Metal Maniacs, Unrestrained!, Hails and Horns, AMP and Outburn as well as other media outlets.