Metal Underground.com

Following the interesting mix of folk and power metal from previous EP “Homeland,” Cryptic Age is out now with a debut full-length to further the band’s sound as it gains steam and works its way up the scene. “Sounds of Infinity” is definitely rough around the edges, as many debuts tend to be, and Cryptic Age solidly remains in the second tier of folk metal, but since there aren’t that many female-fronted acts of this variety, it’s still worth hearing for any folk fans.

A problem that plagues the whole album and hinders enjoyment of the music is the mix, which is frankly terrible, although not “basement black metal” terrible. Everything is a little fuzzy and the instruments and vocals are constantly vying for the loudest spot, with the drums also frequently sounding muffled and far away. With the amount of repetition present, and the overuse of a flute and guitar combo, the overly long song lengths also detract from the experience.

Those issues aside, musically “Sounds of Infinity” still has plenty of positive aspects that deserve to be heard. There are segments that have the full-on folk metal vibe, like Korpiklaani with female vocals and an emphasis on guitar work, but the album as a whole uses a variety of different styles. Strong thrash elements are present, along with some power metal vibes, and plenty of the music would fit well in a fantasy video game soundtrack. Overall the folk aspects mesh easily into the metal, with the only exceptions being the over-the-top and odd sounds on “Maelstrom” and “Fortuneteller.”

The album’s crowning achievement is easily the four part “Sounds of Infinity” series that ends the disc. “Perpetually Blind” begins the series with an epic building sound that gives a feeling of gearing up for battle, and if it weren’t for the female vocals, much of the song arc would come off as symphonic extreme metal with a thrash chaser. The twists continue throughout the song arc, such as on “Seeking the Curve,” which has a well placed psychedelic, prog-rock style guitar solo.

With better sound quality and an expansion of the sound from the four track ending song arc, Cryptic Age has the potential to be a strong force in the folk metal scene. As it stands, the full-length album may have been a bit premature however, as an EP consisting of just “The Aftermath” and the last four songs would have come off much stronger.