AN NCS PREMIERE: INTOTHECRYPT — “SI MAS VER”

 

Old adages aren’t wrong just because they’re old and you’ve heard them over and over again. Take this one for example (attributed to Will Rogers): You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You get one chance, so you’d better make it count.

Intothecrypt’s first chance came when they released the first single from their hour-long debut album, Vakor, about a month ago. And man, did they make a strong impression with “Leti, Voy Nash!“. On the other hand, it wasn’t shocking that the song was so good, given that the Intothecrypt trio were all members of the Russian cult band Scald, whose lone 1996 album Will of Gods Is a Great Power is still spoken of with reverence in doom circles.

Today we’re premiering another song from Vakor in advance of its June 21 release by Ordo MCM that only deepens the strong impression that the band have already made.

 

 

Those three former Scald members — guitarist Ivan “Harald” Sergeev, bassist/vocalist Ilia “Velingor” Timashev, and drummer Aleksand “Ottar” Kudryashov — also performed in the Russian folk metal band Tumulus after the death of Scald’s singer led them to inter that band, and other members of Tumulus appear as guest vocalists on Vakor.

There are northern folk accents within the music of IntotheCrypt, as well as ingredients of epic doom, but in this new venture the trio have expanded their musical palette significantly, borrowing as well from the sounds of pagan metal, prog, death metal, and black metal (with a particular nod toward Bathory) to create dark extreme music that really stirs the soul and fires the imagination.

Intothecrypt have described their music as “Pagan shaman metal”, and there is indeed an eerie, shamanistic quality to that first single, “Leti, Voy Nash!“, which is apparent in the first seconds. On the other hand, the lead-guitar melody that comes in, which rings with clarity, is soulful (and deeply sorrowful) — and immediately memorable. On the third hand, the serrated vocals are downright bestial (and the wild wails are almost equally intense).

The rhythm section also does a fine job, giving the song considerable heaviness and a head-moving compulsiveness — but man, those doom-y guitar melodies… they’re so damned good!

 

Which brings us to the song we’re presenting today, “Si Mas Ver” (This is my place). The song creates a mix of moods, inspiring feelings of both tragedy and grandeur, with emotionally explosive vocals adding significantly to the music’s penetrating intensity.

A haunting flute melody opens the track, providing just a brief hint of some of the currents to come. The music quickly begins to unfold through a syncopated pounding rhythm (with bursts of rapid-fire rumbling and tumbling, and bright cymbal crashes) and an immersive haze of eerie yet majestic chords and scalding, jagged, belly-deep roars.

The music becomes both brooding and gleaming, forlorn and fierce. Double-bass kicks push the music’s energy higher, as the voice becomes even more intense and harrowing. Filaments of shrill spectral melody infiltrate the sweeping cascades of soaring sound, but the band also revisits more brooding and despondent moods. All together, the dramatic textures and unearthly colors in the song become spellbinding.

 

 

Vakor features guest performances by these musicians:

Gervald (KI.EN.GI project) – backsound, keyboards, back vocal
Marina Sokolova (SEDMAYA VODA) – vocals
Maria Chirkova (ROS’) – vocals
Kuchma (TUMULUS) – vocals
Kurbat (TUMULUS) – vocals

Ordo MCM will release Vakor on digipack CD format with a 32-page booklet, featuring cover art by Andrey Andreev. Pre-order info is below, along with our premiere, and a stream of “Leti, Voy Nash!“.

PRE-ORDER:
https://ordomcm.bandcamp.com/album/intothecrypt-vakor

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/intothecryptmetal/