Sky Crypt - Incipit Anarchia: Eternity (2020)

We are always suckers for good Melodic Death Metal releases and luckily for us, Sky Crypt unleashes nearly 40 minutes of catchy and old-school sounding music. In “Incipit Anarchia: Eternity”, this Russian duo manages to carve a personal sound from mixing elements from old Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and At the Gates. If you are a fan of older sounding Melo-Death, this release will keep you busy.

Opening with your traditional atmospheric intro, the release really warms up with “The Dawn of Tyranny” and its catchy riffs paired with crafty tempo changes. The band’s style is quite linear and traditional, and while not bad, it feels a bit uninspired at times with songs like “The Higher Walls”, “The Awe”, and “The Solemn Rite”, all blending together.

Things do get a bit doomier on pieces like “The Last Day” and “King of Curse”, which are coincidentally the longest songs in this album. Alongside the crafty guitars and well developed drum patterns, there is a subtle use of keyboards that provide some variety here and there, but feel a bit underutilized. The growls are quite traditional, making pieces like “The Revenge” be quite effective and engaging.

At the end of the day, “Incipit Anarchia: Eternity” is a solid release that while it shows some promise from Sky Crypt, unfortunately most songs seem quite similar and kind of blend together. There are definitely some cool tracks, and even better atmospheric passages, but the linearity of the old-school Melodic Death Metal approach keeps things from getting interesting or exciting.

Label: Self-Released

Release: December 29th, 2020

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Russia