Crypta delivers a warm and impactful show in Porto Alegre.

One of the biggest names in Brazilian metal right now, Crypta put on an impressive show in Porto Alegre last Friday, the 6th. The show, which took place at Bar Opinião, is part of the Shades of Sorrow Brasil and also featured the Rio Grande do Sul band Phornax and the Minas Gerais band Paradise In Flames .

Phornax

Promptly at 7:30 PM, the gaucho band Phornax took the stage. Phornax was very popular around 2011, but shortly after, they went on a 12-year hiatus, resuming activities in 2023. The band opened the show with their 2011 single, "Silent War." The still sparse audience enjoyed the show discreetly at first, nodding their heads and making some videos, but applauded loudly throughout the show, and by the end, the crowd had their arms raised, shouting "hey! hey! hey!"

For those who saw them 12 years ago (like me), it was quite a wave of nostalgia. That's because Phornax resumed their work exactly where they left off. With a new lineup, the band presented the same sound that combines influences from traditional heavy metal, melodic heavy metal, and power metal. The high and powerful notes of vocalist Cristiano Poschi have a timbre that strongly resembles the legendary Bruce Dickinson ( Iron Maiden ). In addition to the title track from their 2011 single, they also played "Ghosts From The Past," and the new compositions "A Matter of Time" and "Hell's Paradise."

Paradise In Flames

The venue gradually filled up, and Paradise In Flames found itself with a fuller and more enthusiastic audience. The band from Minas Gerais immediately established a darker, gothic atmosphere with a long instrumental introduction and the first track of the night, "Concert No. 6 in C Minor, Cold Spring." The members took to the stage with a theatrical air and strong presence, and the audience was immediately surprised by the symphonic elements created by keyboardist Guilherme de Alvarenga , combined with a melodic base of extreme metal and guttural and lyrical vocals, sometimes even simultaneous.

In the band, vocals are handled by Guilherme, guitarist Andre Damian , and opera singer Nienna Ni . The three create mesmerizing, dialogic vocal combinations, as in the track "Unseen God." Another highlight is the track "Black Wings," which has a strong instrumental influence from baião, lending considerable personality to the band's sound.

Paradise In Flames' performance was undoubtedly impressive. It's surprising that the band isn't yet better known here in the south, but they certainly won over a large number of fans from Rio Grande do Sul with this show.

Crypta

With a slight 10-minute delay, Crypta finally took the stage at Opinião to the sound of shouts from the audience chanting “Crypta! Crypta! Crypta!”, a chant that continued throughout the night. Opening with “The Other Side of Anger,” the band immediately garnered many raised fists and a crowd singing along. 

The band's brutality is what immediately grabs your attention, but this is only truly complemented by the strong technical displays of the members with their respective instruments. Fernanda Lira exudes power in both vocals and bass, while Tainá Bergamaschi and Jéssica di Falchi shred chords and melodies with dexterity, and Luana Dametto doesn't hold back when tearing it up on the drums.

The energy from the crowd didn't wane for a second. Songs like "Lift The Blindfold" and "Lullaby For The Forsaken" guaranteed some small mosh pits and plenty of headbanging. The stage presence of all the members is impressive, but Fernanda Lira's facial expressions, synchronized with the beats of the music and her aggressive movements on stage, are contagious. 

During a moment of interaction with the band, a large portion of those present admitted to seeing Crypta live for the first time, which contributed to the euphoria of many fans there. Furthermore, Fernanda had the sensitivity to recognize the importance of the show in Porto Alegre at a time when the city is still recovering from the floods that hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul in May of this year.  

With a setlist that included almost all the tracks from the album Shades of Sorrow (2023), the band closed the show with “Lord of Ruins” and “From The Ashes”, the latter a highly appreciated track from the band's first album, Echoes of The Soul (2021).

Crypta is proving itself more and more to be a mature and dominant band. The admiration of each fan present, men and women, young and old, was palpable. The band received and reciprocated the immense affection of the fans from Rio Grande do Sul throughout the performance. The quartet is now a source of pride as women in the underground scene and, of course, as major exponents of Brazilian metal.