Report

Crypta Takes Bristol Under Their Black Wings Along With Sodomized Cadaver And Moon Reaper

Good things come to those who wait, so they say. Ever since Crypta announced their formation in 2019, British fans of Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto’s work in Nervosa could hardly wait for them to make their way over to our grey and miserable island. Having been there for Nervosa’s first UK show in 2015, when they supported Cryptopsy and Brujeria, as well doing my first in person interview with Ms. Lira, it’s been a joy to see her and her former band go from strength to strength because they really do deserve every success that comes their way. Finally, five years after their formation, Crypta were embarking on their first headlining run of eight English cities and towns and the anticipation couldn’t be greater, especially when I noticed that they were heading to the intimate and inclusive Exchange in Bristol.

The show kicked off with some local flavour, courtesy of Moon Reaper. Describing themselves as “blackened hardcore doom,” it is a little hard to pin down their sound, so let’s sum it up with this… They were great! Bristol has long been home to many excellent musicians and it’s great to see enough like minded ones come together and pool their talents into creating something exciting and enjoyable. Fronted by the charismatic Sirin Bozkurt, who also possesses an outstanding voice, Moon Reaper connects with the audience in a powerful way, far beyond that of a local band with friends in the audience. They’ve been going for a little while now and had just put out their latest EP, “Black Sun Sorcery,” which was of course represented well tonight. Moon Reaper delivers their music with tremendous precision and has a natural stage presence, both of which will help them climb the ranks of the British metal scene. They’ve already had some high profile support slots, but it won’t be long until they’re nationwide favourites.

Following Moon Reaper, we had Welsh death metal monsters Sodomized Cadaver. As one might expect from their name, this was a much more brutal affair, with their music firmly on the more grizzly side of death metal. They’re good fun, chugging out familiar sounding viciousness, interspersed with cheeky on stage banter with the crowd, with a running joke being that drummer Gavin Davies was suffering from diarrhoea and the aim was to play heavier until he couldn’t hold himself anymore. As I said, grizzly. The music itself is, as alluded to, nothing groundbreaking, but they play it very well and there were more than a few fans in attendance, with new ones made by the end of the set. If you want some solid death metal, a laugh and a reminder of how death metal used to feel grubby, Sodomized Cadaver are right up your street.

At last, we come to the evening’s headliners. It’s been a long wait for Crypta to play in Great Britain, having originally supposed to come to the island as support to Deicide before that tour was cancelled, along with delays caused by the pandemic of course, it’s been very difficult to remain patient. Nonetheless, the Brazilian quartet were finally here and fans were practically salivating to hear the tunes live for the first time. Taking the stage to a heroine’s welcome, Crypta began proceedings by tearing into “The Other Side Of Anger,” from their sophomore album, “Shades Of Sorrow,” which was released last year through Napalm Records. In fact, the set focused very heavily on this album, so much so that every song was performed, though not in order of the track listing, as well as some of the interludes that complete the record. This was a risky move, but it seemed to pay off as the likes of “Lift The Blindfold,” “Trial Of Traitors” and “Lord Of Ruins” were all received very warmly.

Of course, they couldn’t ignore their debut, “Echoes Of The Soul,” eventually getting to “Under The Black Wings,” almost certainly one of the more popular songs to be found on the album. What helped to make this show so special was it was easy to see how much fun Crypta was having, with frontwoman Fernanda Lira smiling a lot from start to finish. I believe it’s important for fans to know that the group they’ve come to see are happy to see them too, as it helps establish a connection between the two parties.

The musicianship on display was first class too and guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Jéssica di Falchi shine so brightly, never missing a note and bringing their razor sharp sound to the live setting. There was seemingly only song which could finish the night, “From The Ashes,” which capped off a truly excellent night, before the band took the time to chat with friends and take pictures, giving back the appreciation British fans had. It won’t be long until Crypta are back in the UK, as they’re scheduled to perform in London and at Bloodstock next month and if this show is anything to go by, fans are in for another treat.

Ollie Hynes has been a writer for Metal Underground.com since 2007 and a metal fan since 2001, going as far as to travel to other countries and continents for metal gigs.