UMUR "Blasphemy Made Flesh" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian death metal act Cryptopsy. The album was released in November 1994 by Invasion Records. Following the group´s later success and rise to death metal stardom, "Blasphemy Made Flesh" has been re-released by Displeased Records and Century Media Records. The Century Media Records version has a different cover artwork.

The music on the album is US inspired brutal and technically well played death metal. Right off the bat it´s obvious what a clever and skilled drummer Flo Mounier actually is. The man is an absolute power house and whenever the music becomes a bit death metal monotone (and it does), the drumming always ensure that my attention doesn´t wander. The rest of the band are also skilled musicians and lead vocalist Lord Worm has a pretty distinct growling style, which is always appreciated by this reviewer. While song-titles like "Open Face Surgery", "Swine of the Cross" and "Pathological Frolic" maybe don´t reveal it, the lyrics on the album are actually very clever. The content may be extreme, dealing with death, murder, blasphemy and other usual suspects in death metal, but the way they are written set them apart from most other death metal lyrics. They feature a kind of dark and bizarre humour which provide the album with an extra dimension that´s greatly appreciated in my book.

"Blasphemy Made Flesh" isn´t a perfect album by any means. The production isn´t the strongest (that snare drum sound drives me crazy in a bad way) and the songwriting could have been a bit more varied but I found myself enjoying the album quite a bit anyways. Especially when reading the lyrics while listening to the album. I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

bartosso In the Album Where Brutal Technical Death Metal Meets Jazz-Fusion, the Music is Immortal

Cryptopsy is undoubtedly one of those bands that try their fans fidelity every now and then. They change vocalists and style often and abruptly, while most of death metal enthusiasts like to know what to expect from their favourite bands, don't they! On ONCE WAS NOT they underwent another transformation, this time into more experimental, jazz-fusion influenced (and still very technical) grind/death metal. I must admit it was a very welcome change, as I'm not a big fan of either BLASPHEMY MADE FLESH/NONE SO VILE era, or even less WHISPER SUPREMACY/AND THEN YOU'LL BEG one, with terrible vocals of Mike DiSalvo.

The album is produced in a modern but a bit odd way and while I really like it, I think it's an acquired taste. The drums are very high in the mix - just behind vocals - with strong, punching bass drum and very organic snare drum and cymbals. Bass and guitars are kind of hidden so during blast beats they tend to be a bit drowned out... but still, I think a perfect balance between organic, brutal sound and selectivity has been achieved here.

The music in ONCE WAS NOT is definitely not easy to describe. Cryptopsy presents here some of the most unrestrained songwriting ever heard in death metal. The record is pervaded with a strange atmosphere - it can be described as some surreal travel through a cold and industrial post-apocalyptic world, where horror and comedy are the same thing. Secondly, with a use of jazz-fusion-inspired riffs and fills, the band managed to create 9 well flowing, brutal, wild and unpredictable compositions. If none of this things seem interesting to you, you should check this album for the drumming only - the stuff Flo Mounier's doing on that record is just beyond belief. With his brutal, well flowing and jazz influenced playing, he proves once again his position among the best extreme metal drummers ever.

That's a very brave album by Cryptopsy and I think one of the most interesting death metal efforts out there. Despite being a little bit inconsistent, it still has uncanny and specific atmosphere and most of all, it has some of the most well-flowing brutal death metal on board. If you're looking for a different approach to death metal without sacrificing brutality, this album is for you.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10: In the Kingdom Where Everything Dies, the Sky Is Mortal; Angelskingarden; Endless Cemetery 9/10: Carrionshine; Adeste Infidelis; Keeping the Cadaver Dogs Busy 8/10: The Curse of the Great; The Frantic Pace of Dying 7/10: The Pestilence That Walketh in Darkness (Psalm 91: 5-8)

NorseGangsta Brutal death metal isn't a genre I am normally a fan of, nor even accustomed to. I have never been a fan of such bands as Cannibal Corpse or suffocation; any death metal I listen to on a regular basis has some connection to prog. None So Vile, however, blows away nearly all other death metal that I have come across over the years.

This album is sheer, raw, crushing brutality. The production is of a low-enough quality to fit in with other brutal death metal albums of this style, yet crisp enough so that each instrument can be clearly heard. The guitars provide nonstop dissonant riffs; some tremolo picked, others with a fair amount of groove. Solos are also present throughout, a few adding hints of neoclassical styling. The bass is not as prevalent in the mix as it was in Blasphemy Made Flesh, but it also doesn't feel out of place as it often did on that album.

While the stringed instruments may provide the musical backbone of the band, the show is stolen by drummer Flo Mounier. Mounier essentially gives a 30-minute performance of blast beats and lightning-fast fills, resulting in what is one of the greatest metal drumming albums of all time.

The instruments of the band are brutally heavy, and Worm's vocals are no exception. Imagine the sound of a dozen chainsaws emulated through human vocal cords and you will have what Lord Worm sounds like. There may not be any 40-second screams on this album, but the diversity shown in Worm's growls, grunts, and howls is impressive. His lyrics are also of note; relatively few bands would have such "graceful" lyrics as "Pardon, please, the narrow confinement of your limbs/Unfortunately, it's necessary for your correction/Shriek to your heart's content, if you wish/I promise you pain and nightmares, in that sequence."

This is one of the most brutal albums of all time, and a landmark classic of death metal. Any fan of extreme metal should experience this aural assault at least once.

arcane-beautiful Why is it that Canada seems to produce some of the worlds most craziest metal? (Warning...their lead singer eats worms)

Now I've known these guys for a while, and I was aware of what they're like. I kind of liked their attitude towards music, and you can guess what they sound like, but I never really heard a full song from these guys or even a full album, so I thought, what they hey, I might as well get one. And I'm glad I did.

This is a band where either you understand them or don't. Now I understand what their getting at, although it took me a whole album to figure it out. Especially during the start, I was quite perplexed, but after about 5 songs, you finally understand it, and you enjoy what they're doing. I remember thinking "Is this grindcore?...Tech death...avante garde jazz metal? Why does parts remind me of Mr. Bungle? Ok, it's a little bit of everything at times, but underneath the clay of oddness, you get your basic tech death, with more of a death metal style (mainly due to Lord Worm's vocals, which reminds me of Autopsy at times).

The only problem is that at times the complications of the songs can overshadow the meanings and atmopsheres. One of the big highlights of this flaw is the lyrics. I was suprised at how good these lyrics are, and at times they can be heard and used to great affect, but then that gabba parts come in, and Lord Worm just kind of caveman growls them. His vocals are also a bit of a marmite factor. My brother doesn't like his vocals that much, but I kind of do...hence them being marmite. Although I kind of like to think of his lyrics kind of like emotional beat poems, which makes them work better. Apparently this album is also a concept album, and theirs seems to be similar themes throughout, e.g. death, famine, disease, relgion, armageddon etc.

Now musicaly, this album is amazing. A bit too complicated at times, but it adds to the wonder of the album now and then. And also I may like to add that the drumming on this is phenomonal, and is something to really marvel at.

1. Luminum - Nice intro with some cool atmospheric touches. 7/10

2. In The Kingdom Where Everything Dies, The Sky Is Mortal - Pretty killer main riff. Amazing drumming. Great instrumental work. Their is some cool twists and turns throughout. 810

3. Carrionshine - Some of the most extreme drumming I have ever heard. Nice twists and runs and the use of vocals throughout is pretty cool. 9/10

4. Adeste Infidelis - I love the vocals. Especially the narrations in French. Nice guitar work too, and the drumming is just crazy. 9/10

5. The Curse Of The Great - One of the most interesting songs on the album. Great lyrics. I love the doomy death sections. 9/10

6. The Frantic Pace Of Dying - Nice noisy intro. A bit too crazy to be honesy. The ending is pretty cool though. 7/10

7. Keeping The Cadaver Dogs Busy - Nice jazzy intro. Love the main riff. Great instrumental work. This is probabbly one of the most accesible songs on the album. 9/10

8. Angelskingarden - Ok, I have to admit, this is pretty epic, especially the bits with keys. Grear guitar work throughout, and interesting arrangements. Nice lyrics too. 9/10

9. The Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness (Psalm 91: 5-8) - I like the religious aspects of the song. Pretty crazy, but pretty cool too. 8/10

10. The End - Interesting noisy bubbly thingy. 5/10

11. Endless Cemetary - One of the best songs on the album. Great guitar work. The vocals really do shine on this song, and I'm really impressed. 9/10

CONCLUSION: As you can see, no song has really completely jumped out at me and has stuck with me, although moments have come and gone. This is a great album I have to admit. I'm not completelu drawn over, but from a first listen this has suprised me. It takes about 5 hours to set in, but after it, you really enjoyed the experience, and you wouldn't mind going through the whole thing again, to be honest. I'm gonna keep this one for another listen (I usually sell shit albums), and I think by the second time, I'm gonna like it even more. This suprised me...typical crazy Canadians.

6.6/10