Krysthla – A War Of Souls And Desires – Album Review

Source // Krysthla

Who still laments the demise of Gutworm, the savage UK death metal band who were pretty damn exceptional and remain sorely missed? Well fear not, as Krysthla are here to pick up the mantle! Led by 3 ex-members of Gutworm, their sound may have evolved but the intensity and attitude remains, resulting in a debut album that embraces the future of extreme metal while keeping one foot firmly in death metal’s past.

These deathly djentleman are a frightening force to behold, incorporating an almost industrialised edge to their technical death metal onslaught that cuts with a precision most associated with the almighty Meshuggah. With hypersonic blasts of rhythmic elasticity, ruthless vocal sparring and a very modern tech metal riffing style – the inevitable Djent comparison – A War Of Souls and Desires is an extreme metal masterclass in accessible yet unfathomable brutality.

With no quarter given, the immediacy of opener “Minority Of One” is matched by each successive track, resulting in an exhausting experience that bruises and batters all the way through to the futuristic thrashy riffs found on closer “An Ancient Hope”; 8 tracks of molten modern metal primed to reduce the listener to ashes.

Glancing over a multitude of reviews for A War Of Souls and Desires, there seems to be a prevailing opinion that we should be in shock and awe that an album of this quality has sprung from the minds of a ‘British’ band. Why this is such a surprise is anyones’s guess. After all, we British technically invented this shit. 

Krysthla’s A War Of Souls and Desires is yet another phenomenal release from just one of the UK’s many outstanding underground bands. The scene is thriving, Krysthla just happen to be at the forefront of it! 9/10