EP Review: Embodiment – Cryptomorph
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Cryptomorph represents the return of Bristol’s Embodiment following the release of their sophomore album, Palingenesis in 2020 and that damned pandemic that put a crimp in everyone’s year.
Formed back in 2012, Embodiment brought technicality, groove and melody together, balancing each against the other in a combination that saw them win the Bristol Metal 2 the Masses in 2017, performing at that year’s Bloodstock and again at Catton Park in 2023, this time promoted to the S.O.P.H.I.E. stage. Appearances at Tech-Fest, Mammothfest and Southwest Heavyfest are also notable, as is sharing stages with the likes of Decapitated, The Black Dahlia Murder and Suffocation to name but a few.
The gap between Palingenesis and Cryptomorph has been filled with upheaval in the Embodiment camp, seeing the departure of rhythm section Keiran Hogarty and Leslie Preston, to be replaced by former Body Harvest and Rannoch drummer, Will Pearson and with one-time Ascaris six-stinger, Sam Godding.
This new EP, their first collection of new material in six-years, finds a band ready to expand on their technical aspects of their sound; named for the concept of hidden transformations, Cryptomorph is four tracks of dynamic and driving melodic death metal, coloured with a modern aesthetic that at times is reminiscent of Lamb of God and the occasional hint of Parkway Drive.
Jeopardy in Idolatry was issued as the promo-single back in May and opens Cryptomorph in belligerent fashion. No airs or graces, no intro to ease the listener in, only an in-your-face slap of sharp, snappy guitar lines, crystal clear in their delivery, but with the force of an unrelenting assault. Choppy riffs, snarling vocals and spiralling guitars all sit against a hefty percussion.
Beneath the Skin starts fast out of the blocks, stomping rhythms and powerful riffs owe a debt to metalcore, the modern sound and dual vocal, along with the occasional clean singing adds further colour and texture. Resonance Cascade has intersecting vocals, some even veering into black metal territory, accentuated by a distinctly symphonic sound and a huge solo; the closing track, As They Spread Their Infection may well be a comment on the recent years, played with groove as guitars flail and rage beneath screeching vocals. It all comes to a brutal conclusion, where the clean singing is replaced with pig squeals
Clocking in at just sixteen-and-a-half-minutes, Cryptomorph is enough to convince all who listen that Embodiment is back. With any luck it won’t be too long before this iteration gets back in the studio for full-length number three, capturing the rich creative force that is obviously on show here.
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