Crypta continues on a path of well-established foundations towards consolidating itself as one of the biggest national metal bands with its second studio album. Released on August 4th, Shades of Sorrow manages to be an even better album than the band's acclaimed debut, as it elevates the successes of the previous work and allows for a hypnotic ambivalence between delicacy and brutality.
Now with a new lineup established, this time entirely Brazilian, and with a respectable track record under the Crypta banner across the globe, the band has already forged its own unique DNA, earning the respect of peers within the scene, from AVATAR to Ghost , who openly declare their admiration for the band's sound in interviews.
That characteristic atmosphere, of candlelit currents in a cold basement, continues in the technical rigor of Shades of Sorrow , but now fleshed out with macabre and irresistible dance melodies, an even deeper and more impressive voice from Fernanda Lira Luana Dametto 's dizzying speed seems tamed, although it hasn't lost any of its intensity.
Divided into stages through the transitions "The Aftermath" and "The Limbo," the album delves into a completely dark yet melodic sonic atmosphere, allowing for almost crystalline moments that sound like deep and beautiful laments, embodied by the guitars of Tainá Bergamaschi and Jéssica Di Falchi , who debuts as an official member of the band on this album.
From a lyrical standpoint, Crypta remains an exceptional death metal band, avoiding the clichés of graphic depictions of violence and crime so common to the genre. While the album Echoes of The Soul (2021) addressed socially relevant themes , Shades of Sorrow has a less broad concept, allowing for a deeper exploration of different aspects of the darkness within the human psyche, traversing the many shades and facets of sadness: anxiety, anger, and abandonment before the moment to rise up and establish boundaries, even while aware of one's own weakness and vulnerability.
Besides the singles “Lord of Ruins”, “Trial of Traitors” and “The Other Side of Anger”, other highlights of the album are “Stronghold”, “Lullaby For The Forsaken” and “Lift the Blindfold”, but nothing is more powerful than the complete work of Shades of Sorrow .
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