Cryptopsy shot themselves in the foot in 1996— despite numerous attempts since, the band’s output has consistently failed to step out of the shadow of their much-revered classic ‘None so Vile.’ At one point, it seemed like Flo Mounier had given up entirely on recapturing that magic: it wasn’t until the band’s 2023 comeback album ‘As Gomorrah Burns’ that that door seemed to be reopening. The band’s 9th record ‘An Insatiable Violence’ walks right through, ripping through some of the most extreme tech death available right now, and possibly losing a fair few listeners in the process.

The label ‘insatiable’ isn’t one Cryptopsy are employing lightly: there’s a frightening aggression to the band’s performances here that turns their latest album into a labyrinthian hellscape. There’s little in the way of atmosphere here, no establishing shot to set the scene— ‘The Nimis Adoration’ tears straight into the tech death action, unleashing the blast beats and screams in mere seconds. Matt McGathy is an imposing presence, with his bestial growls haunting every moment like an object of cosmic horror: truthfully, these may be the most dominating vocals on any Cryptopsy project, truly living up to the iconic line of “I’m rather good at that, aren’t I?” from ‘Crown of Horns.’ As for the rest of the group, there’s no signs of slowing down. Cryptopsy manage to transform themselves from a group of musicians into a single, impenetrable wall of noise on cuts like ‘The Art Of Emptiness,’ with Mounier’s relentless drumming and the brutal playing of Christian Donaldson and Olivier Pinard sounding increasingly inhuman and inhumane across the album’s concise 33-minute length.

If there’s a single underpinning element to the Cryptopsy sound, it’s speed— ‘An Insatiable Violence’ is bloody fast. Great swathes of the record are devoted to that sacred combination of blast beats, trem-picked riffs and unabashed screaming, and fans of the band should be pleased to hear that these moments are more overwhelming and colossal than ever before: single ‘Until There’s Nothing Left’ is particularly barbaric, cutting the throat of any idea that doesn’t push the envelope in extremity (and packing in some phenomenal bass work to boot). Tracks like ‘Dead Eyes Replete’ and ‘Embrace The Nihility’ are positively suffocating, drowning the listener under as much noise as the group can positively muster. That single-minded focus is a double-edged sword though: truth be told, ‘An Insatiable Violence’ is a monotonous affair, sure to exhaust even the most diehard of fans before they reach the album’s halfway mark. Mounier’s drums often overshadow the variety of riffs and rhythms on display, reducing many moments to textureless walls of sound— though that was surely an intention on Cryptopsy’s part, it doesn’t make for the most engaging listen in the meantime.

It’s when the band finally wrestle themselves off of the gas pedal that ‘An Insatiable Violence’ hits its stride. None of the album’s eight tracks fully escape a disconcerting sense of tedium, but moments of more focused power are never far— standout cut ‘Our Great Deception’ provides some much needed relief via its haunting clean intro before launching into the grooviest collection of riffs on the project. Cryptopsy rein themselves in increasing across the project (though their tamest moment still fully outstrips the peak of near-any other tech death group), injecting much-needed doses of restraint into passages of ‘Embrace The Nihility’ and ‘Malicious Needs:’ the album’s best moments undoubtedly come when the band toy around with pinch harmonics and more groove-oriented writing, making it all the more disappointing that these passages are few and far between.

There’s little else to discuss in regards to ‘An Insatiable Violence:’ the album’s sound, artwork and concept all point towards its sheer, unrelenting aggression as its focal point, and it’s here that the album exceeds expectations. Cryptopsy are back with a vengeance, delivering some of the most diabolical metal of the year so far— beneath that dark exterior though, there’s shockingly little to keep this album in your mind. Though the fans might crucify them if they did, it might be time for Flo Mounier and company to pull back on the blast beats, as the terrifying underbelly of their sound deserves far more attention.