Cruentis is a Melodic Death metal band that originated out of Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. The band began in 2012 with the lineup of Jesse Dean and Tyler DeMerchant. The band was signed with Madison, Wisconsin-based label Nosral Recordings until the label’s disbandment in 2019. The band is now signed to Hagah Recordings and are out with “Alpha and Omega”, which they consider to be Cruentis’ heaviest, most aggressive, and vociferous release to date.
The band have claimed several melodic death metal and black metal influences, including Kalmah, Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, and Opeth. However, the band have been compared to Extol, Pantokrator, Not Beneath, At the Gates, World to Ashes, and In Flames, with comparisons of progressive metal, nu metal, doom metal, and hardcore punk.
The album starts off with “All Hail Nothing” which is nothing short of brutal madness, be it for its ultra-fast double bass drum kicks or the guttural vocals that are paired with heavy chugged guitars. The song maintains the high energy throughout and is sure to give one a high adrenaline rush. “Alpha and Omega” kicks off with a low tonal monologue layered over ambient soundscapes and spares no time to set upon a groovy riff that pushes the song through, and flares out a gut-wrenching guitar solo.
“Reclaimed” gets really heavy starting off with an insane intro unleashing guttural vocals and guitar chugs that are spread through the breadth of the song. The band has put in a lot of energy throughout but we witness sheer brilliance right after 03.31 where the band delivers blitzing guitar shreds on magnificent blast beats.
“Silence of the sands” starts off with the strumming of an acoustic guitar, and for the first time we get to hear clean vocals on the album. This is one of the longest songs on the album spanning almost 14 minutes! The song changes course at about 6 minutes, and it felt like the start of a new song. It brings forth a mix of mellow and heavy elements marking transition to a more death/thrash/doom metal sound. The transition follows an eclectic guitar solo and vocals switching between Clean, Screeches and guttural delivery.
The album ends with “Unbroken” which has a lovely piano intro giving a breather to the listener and slowing down pace marking the end of the track-listing. But before I could finish that thought, the song picks up pace and goes all out with speedy riffs meddled with screeching vocal delivery that felt like an anthem. What stands out on this track is the variety of vocal delivery and the unrelenting energy that the band puts into the track.
Production – The songs on the album are produced well, the vocals and the guitars drove the sound but I missed hearing the bass.
Conclusion –Given this is a re-release album, the sound felt fresh and crisp. What stood out for me was the energy levels on all the tracks. Although I wouldn’t really put it on the melodic Death metal genre, more of a Metalcore meets thrash with a tinge of death metal, the album still had an original sound and good song-writing on it.
Rating: 7.5/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Tracklist:
- All Hail Nothing
- Alpha and Omega
- Reclaimed
- Silence of the sands
- Unbroken
Band Members:
Tyler DeMerchant – Vocals, Rhythm Guitars (2012–present), Lead Guitars (2012, 2017–present)
Jesse Dean – Vocals, Bass (2012–present)
Release Date: 30 April 2021
Record Label: Hagah Recordings
Weblinks: Facebook / iTunes / Spotify / Twitter / Bandcamp
