Back in the mid-'90s, Cryptopsy were one of those very few bands that
managed to maintain the role of innovators in the death metal scene --
through their 1994 debut _Blasphemy Made Flesh_ and especially the
1996 follow-up _None So Vile_. The sheer lunacy, brutality and extreme
technicality, almost impossibly coupled with passages that were
actually very catchy, made Cryptopsy really stand out from the death
metal crowd. With Mike DiSalvo replacing Lord Worm on vocals and some
more style changes, _Whisper Supremacy_ and _And Then You'll Beg_
alienated some old fans, but remain powerful testaments to the band's
skill. _None So Live_ (and what a suitable title this is) deservedly
focuses mostly on the band's _None So Vile_ era, while still covering
their career quite well considering it only contains ten actual songs.
Recorded in Montreal in June 2002, this live performance already
features new vocalist Martin Lacroix. Fans awaiting his studio debut
may be pleased to notice that Lacroix is neither exactly like Lord
Worm nor Mike DiSalvo, but rather somewhere in between. Also worthy of
notice is the fact that this live disc was mixed by Pierre Remillard,
producer of every Cryptopsy album except their debut.The live set kicks off with the brilliant intro from _None So Vile_,
followed by the same album's excellent opener "Crown of Horns". The
album tour continues as the band visits the other three records in
succession with "White Worms" (_Wisper Supremacy_), "We Bleed" (_And
Then You'll Beg_) and "Open Face Surgery" (_Blasphemy Made Flesh_).
Then it's back to _Whisper Supremacy_ for "Cold Hate, Warm Blood",
followed by my personal favourite, "Phobophile", from _None So Vile_.
Then comes "Shroud" from _And Then You'll Beg_ and "Graves of the
Fathers" from _None So Vile_, which includes a near four minute drum
solo midway through. The disc then finishes with "Defenestration" from
_Blasphemy Made Flesh_ and "Slit Your Guts" from _None So Vile_. In
other words, you get four tracks from _None So Vile_ and a couple from
each of the other three records. There is very little I can think of
to improve this set list other than add a couple more songs -- which
might end up doing more harm than good anyway, especially if they had
to be taken from a different show.
As for the recording itself, the sound quality is good, but not so
good that it sounds like a studio album; and the playing is tight, but
not always so tight that it sounds like some sort of cleaning up took
place. I cannot guess exactly what happened between the original
recording and the finished product, but to me it doesn't come across
as artificially good. The performers, on the other hand, are of the
highest calibre -- above all, unsurprisingly, Cryptopsy's unbelievable
drummer Flo Mounier, quite possibly the best drummer in the metal
world. His drum solo helps cement that claim, but just hearing his
performance throughout the show goes a long way to proving it. (Never
having been to a Cryptopsy show myself, I can only imagine his arms
flying all over the kit.) The other band members are in top shape as
well, with new vocalist Lacroix putting in a very convincing
performance. The guitar work is excellent, even if occasionally
slightly messy. Nothing frequent or jarring enough to even begin to
spoil a Cryptopsy fan's enjoyment of this superb performance though.
Indeed, with such a quality set list, very adequate sound quality and
an excellent display by this highly talented band, this is just about
as good as a live album can get -- so much so that the only record I
can see challenging it successfully is My Dying Bride's superb _Voice
of the Wretched_. _None So Live_ is a deservedly outstanding live
document of an equally outstanding band.