CRYPTOPSY – Once Was Not / VINYL LP

“Once Was Not” is an album that envelops, pummeling the listener with any number of rhythmic weapons from Flo Mounier’s impressive arsenal, Alex Auburn’s terrifying riffs, and a bassist in Eric Langlois that steadfastly refuses to bend to convention. Lord Worm’s deft maneuvering through the battle zone is the pinnacle of the band’s hard-fought victory and the listener’s ultimate demise. There will be debates about “Once Was Not”’s place within CRYPTOPSY’s impressive body of work, and many will be blinded by nostalgia for the early albums. Whether the record is seen as a definition of legacy (I lean that way) matters little when one considers that few death metal acts can match the brilliance of CRYPTOPSY.