Canadian extreme-metal legends CRYPTOPSY have revealed their depraved, merciless new single, “Flayed The Swine”
Taken from the band’s first full-length album in over a decade, “As Gomorrah Burns”, it is described in a press release as “an accessible yet face-melting track that takes listeners down a dark and demented path to madness. In true CRYPTOPSY fashion, the track is accompanied by a horrific, blood-soaked video that will only fuel viewers’ nightmares.
Commenting on the new single, vocalist Matt McGachy says: “‘Flayed The Swine’ is one of the catchiest CRYPTOPSY songs I have ever written. It is brutal, filled with massive groove sections and extremely vulgar. Lyrically, it concentrates on a mental breakdown, an utter loss of control. We all have dark intentions, but we rarely act upon them. The protagonist by the end of the track most certainly wishes they hadn’t.”
“As Gomorrah Burns” will arrive on September 8 via Nuclear Blast Records. McGachy previously stated about the LP: “It’s an album that we have been crafting for the past five years. A meticulous endeavor that we are proud of. It’s the perfect medley of old-school CRYPTOPSY with a few modern twists. We’ve leaned heavily into the grooves and let some of the riffs breathe just a little more than we have on the past few releases. I’m really stoked about the new era of CRYPTOPSY.”
Last month, McGachy said about the record’s first single, “In Abeyance”, and accompanying video for which was directed by Chris Kells (THE AGONIST, BENEATH THE MASSACRE): “‘In Abeyance’ is conceptually about feeling isolated while being submerged in a new environment. The hunt for a sense of belonging while mourning a previous life. Musically, it’s a slap in the face. It’s a banger that appears to be straightforward yet remains ultra complex.”
“As Gomorrah Burns” track listing:
01. Lascivious Undivine
02. In Abeyance
03. Godless Deceiver
04. Ill Ender
05. Flayed The Swine
06. The Righteous Lost
07. Obeisant
08. Praise The Filth
“As Gomorrah Burns” is CRYPTOPSY‘s first album for Nuclear Blast. On the LP, the Montreal-based quartet — featuring founding member/drummer Flo Mounier, guitarist Christian Donaldson, vocalist Matt McGachy, and bassist Olivier “Oli” Pinard — advances its signature Northern power as they celebrate 30-plus years of extremity. The merciless blasts of “Lascivious Undivine” and “Flayed The Swine” see CRYPTOPSY at their most intense and maniacal, while “In Abeyance” and “The Righteous Lost” groove savagely. “As Gomorrah Burns” underscores the animus of fan-favorite “None So Vile” (1996) and the meticulous technicality of “And Then You’ll Beg” (2000) with a strikingly sinister vibe.
“As Gomorrah Burns” isn’t merely the follow-up to EPs “The Book of Suffering – Tome I” (2015) and “The Book of Suffering – Tome II” (2018). It’s another beast entirely. Crafted over two years during the pandemic, the initial sessions took place in a cabin in the forests of Quebec. McGachy calls the horror-like backdrop “surreal,” but, as with everything CRYPTOPSY, the songwriting process was expectedly arduous. Donaldson was the primary motivator behind “As Gomorrah Burns”. The guitarist and producer served as taskmaster and advocate, grinding out of his bandmates in McGachy, Mounier and Pinard eight slabs of unadulterated barbarity.
Conceptually, “As Gomorrah Burns” pits the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah against the modern-day Internet. McGachy‘s idea was to show how it’s both the birthplace of invention and a cesspool of exploitation. The stories are based on real-life incidences — online stalkers, cults, misinformation, isolation, and intimidation — but ornamented deviously to enhance their potency. CRYPTOPSY commissioned Italian artist Paolo Girardi (POWER TRIP, TEMPLE OF VOID) to complement the old-world lyrical themes. If Renaissance masters Hieronymus Bosch and El Greco were thrust into McGachy‘s modern mind, the stunning cover of “As Gomorrah Burns” would be the outcome.
As with “The Unspoken King” (2008) and the self-titled (2012),CRYPTOPSY enlisted their bandmate Donaldson to helm the production, mixing, and mastering of “As Gomorrah Burns”. Dom Grimard, of ION DISSONANCE fame, also came into the production fold. McGachy says the time in the studio took much longer than anticipated, but with Donaldson directing and everyone finally in the same room again post-pandemic, CRYPTOPSY were able to capture newfound vigor (and velocity) on “As Gomorrah Burns”. Tracks such as “Godless Deceiver”, “Ill Ender” and “Praise The Filth” demonstrate Donaldson‘s death metal mastery.
Aggressive to a fault yet thoughtful in its entirety, “As Gomorrah Burns” — with songs such as “In Abeyance”, “Flayed The Swine” and “Lascivious Undivine” — pierces mundanity thoroughly and relentlessly. This is no-quarters death metal, the kind our bellicose world needed and only CRYPTOPSY could deliver.
“We are back,” says McGachy. “I want our fans to know we’re more than a legacy band. Yes, we have had massive cult favorite albums — like ‘None So Vile’ — but we are creating modern and relevant extreme music 30 years later. We’re so proud of ‘As Gomorrah Burns’, and we can’t wait for you to hear it!”
Photo credit: Mihaela Petrescu