CRYPTOPSY Release 'Best-Of'

Canada's masters of brutality CRYPTOPSY have released their new devastating 2CD/digital download "best of" collection today in North America! Programmatically entitled The Best Of Us Bleed, this collection gathers 32 stunning songs in approximately 140 minutes of playing time, including 3 exclusive, newer studio songs, several rare live/demo/cover/bonus tracks as well as selected cuts from the first 6 studio albums by these technical death metal pioneers. The striking cover artwork of this compilation was designed by Toshihiro Egawa (SUICIDE SILENCE, KRISIUN, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, etc.) and the booklet contains extensive biographical liner notes by Adrien Begrand.

As a special tribute to the band, various members of the music community have come together to assemble a CRYPTOPSY Spotify playlist (with commentary). Colin Davis of VILE says this about the band in general: "This is a band that was pretty shocking when they first came out because they incorporated a number of new qualities that really made them stand out. Their drummer played a type of hyper blast beat that was novel for the time, they used funk style slapping on the bass, they wrote a lot of really groovy and melodic riffs and then they put it all together to give you a pretty original sounding package. As they moved on over time, they continued to experiment and never seemed to care if what they were trying out would disappoint or please. They did new things for their own reasons and that is always admirable."

To check out the playlist, please click here.

"Benedictine Convulsions" from None So Vile

Stu Block of ICED EARTH / ex-INTO ETERNITY
"The lyrics are so well thought out and I love this line:
'Infernal visions flay their souls
as their bodies contort and writhe...
Capricornus nocturnum haunts them,
from their torment springs its delight.'"

"Cold Hate, Warm Blood" from Whisper Supremacy

Charles Elliott of ABYSMAL DAWN / BEREFT
"This is one of my favorite songs from them if not my favorite for sure. It's just so brutal and technical while still being melodic at the same time. When they put this record out melodic death metal was king, and this song just crushed all that by adding some good old school brutality. It even has an epic solo section! What more could you want?! True innovators."

Chris Kells of THE AGONIST
"Been listening to CRYPTOPSY ever since High School when I first started getting into death metal. I think still one of my favorites would have to be 'Cold Hate, Warm Blood'. I used to bug Chris to play that on his acoustic while tracking one of our albums. Oh and 'Emaciate' is also a great one."

Joe "Grindo" Axler of THEORIES / SKARP / BOOK OF BLACK EARTH
"When I first heard the song 'Cold Hate, Warm Blood' off of 'Whisper Supremacy' I was completely floored by the drumming on it, the technique and fills played on this song kinda opened up a whole new world of drumming to me"

Mark Holcomb of PERIPHERY
"I'd probably have to say 'Cold Hate, Warm Blood', as it's my favorite song off of my favorite CRYPTOPSY album. 'Whisper Supremacy' was such an amazing record! :o)"

"Crown of Horns" from None So Vile

Neil Burkdoll of P.O.O.R.
"I'm sure this is a favorite song for many CRYPTOPSY fans, but it was the first song I ever heard from them back in 1996. In the Chicago land area, there was a metal magazine called 'Inner Source' that featured a CD sampler with each issue. One issue came with 'Crown of Horns' on it and it really blew me away. This same sampler was also the first time I heard DYING FETUS, so it was a pretty good issue. I was really into Black Metal at the time and pretty burnt out on Death Metal, but 'Crown of Horns' really stood out at the time. It was pretty extreme for '96 and Lord Worm was a very unique vocalist as well. 'Crown of Horns' was really catchy and showed what 'None So Vile' had to offer. I think it summed up the album really well. I still listen to it every once in a while even after all of these years."

Robert Cardenas of POSSESSED / COFFIN TEXTS
"The sickest drumming I've ever heard with the ULTRA BRUTAL VOKILLS!!!! This song reminds me of the Milwaukee Metalfest daze, Great Death Blasting Metal!!!"

"Defenestration" from Blasphemy Made Flesh

John Laux of WARBRINGER
"'Defenestration' was the first CRYPTOPSY song I ever heard; I couldn't imagine a better introduction into their world of Canadian Death Metal. This song rips. I love the bass lines, the velocity of the drums, and how intense the whole damn song is. They put a lot of grind bands to shame with this release."

"Emaciate" from Whisper Supremacy

Daniel Dismal of CREMATORIUM / Church of the 8th Day
"I have always known about CRYPTOPSY and was a fan of their technical prowess but when I first heard 'Emaciate' I was floored by not only the music but the strength behind the vocals. I know a lot of people will stand behind Lord Worm as being CRYPTOPSY's best vocalist, and he is amazing in his own right but to me, Mike D delivered a face pounded vocal delivery that took this band from a great technical Death Metal band to an amazing, ass kicking, technically proficient worldwide act."

"Endless Cemetery" from Once Was Not

Ralph Santola ex-DEICIDE / ex-ICED EARTH / ex-OBITUARY / ex-DEATH
"It's just intense and fucking HEAVY, it reminds me of when I first heard extreme metal, that feeling of 'wow, now THAT is extreme!'"

"Graves Of Our Fathers" from None So Vile

Benny (manager) of HEAVEN SHALL BURN
"Heavy breakdowns, hyper blasts = perfect death metal song."

"Phobophile" from None So Vile

Alex Erian of DESPISED ICON / OBEY THE BRAVE
"The piano intro gets you so pumped and the main riff is beyond epic. No one sounded as evil as Lord Worm back then and Flo was the fastest. The guitar solo on this track is my favorite on the record. 'None So Vile' will always be one of my top Death Metal records of all time."

Mario Moreno of EXMORTUS
"I remember hearing the 'None So Vile' album in high school and being blown away by Flo Mounier's drumming. I used to think SLAYER was fast haha."

Stephan Mellul of Rock The Nation USA
"I still think they had great tracks off 'Blasphemy Made Flesh' and the Mike DiSalvo days, but the beginning track off 'None So Vile' brought the band to higher levels for the Canadian Death Metal scene when it was released. The combination of grooves, grind and technicality - without forgetting Lord Worm's classic growls & screams - all describe what made CRYPTOPSY unique in their own way."

"Red Skinned Scapegoat" from Cryptopsy

Shane Embury of NAPALM DEATH
"I am quite partial to 'Red Skinned Scapegoat,' just got some nice arrangements and spastic drumming!"

"Shag Harbour's Visitors" from Cryptopsy

Adam Sagan of CIRCLE II CIRCLE / Drumhead Magazine
"This song embodies the best of every period of CRYPTOPSY's career. Wickedly technical, brutal yet melodic, neck-snapping but groovy, 'Shag Harbour's Visitors' is the embodiment of technical death metal mastery."

"Slit Your Guts" from None So Vile

Ben Orum of ALL SHALL PERISH / WeNeedMerch.com
"To me, 'None So Vile' is classic for two reasons. The first would be its cover art. Something about it is very intriguing to me, almost haunting. Every time I see it, it grabs my attention and instantly takes me back to being 16 years old in 1996 buying it the day it came out. Reason number 2: in a time before all of this computer drum quantizing fuckery that has become so standard, NSV is incredibly raw, groovy and insanely good. My favorite track off the disc is 'Slit Your Guts.' The drums on that track are so chaotic and real. It sounds like it was recorded in a few takes, and has an overwhelming sense of urgency to the music, which I absolutely love."

Danny Walker of INTRONAUT / MURDER CONSTRUCT
"This was the landmark album for CRYPTOPSY and for me; this particular song showcased what they were capable of doing at the time. This was ground breaking death metal. Very unorthodox, with the slapping of the bass and usage of clean guitar. Quirky, but brutal as hell! One of my favorites and a classic in my opinion."

Jason Netherton of MISERY INDEX
"The introductory punch in the face, the murderous tremolo picking, some of the fastest drumming ever laid on tape, the ridiculously heavy break in the mid-section, ripping solo, and the return to yet another face-stomping flurry of riffs at the end. It really is an example of a perfectly written death metal song, and at the time, set the bar for many bands that followed in the 90s."

Taylor Young of NAILS / TWITCHING TONGUES / CREMATORIUM
"It's the first song I heard from them and its intensity just grabbed me, not to mention the extra hard mosh part."

Travis Weickum of SKINNED
"Great song, reminds me of a great stabbing horror movie scene on the high guitar parts. It's like psycho metal. Crazydeathgrind"

"Soar And Envision Sore Vision" from And Then You'll Beg

Leif Jensen of DEW-SCENTED
"I love the craziness of its rather melodic riffs and the constant whirlwind of changing tempos and torrential breaks. I can listen to this one over and over again! I always enjoyed Mike DiSalvo's powerful vocal delivery and his intense stage appearance and so I guess that made his two albums with CRYPTOPSY ('Whisper Supremacy' and 'ATYB') as well as the production of those records to my favorite period of this influential technical Death Metal band. DEW-SCENTED had the privilege of touring Europe with CRYPTOPSY in early 2006 (together with GRAVE and ABORTED --- killer billing!) and I was pretty amazed how CRYPTOPSY pulled off their demanding sets flawlessly night after night! I have some great memories from that tour!"

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Tags:  Cryptopsy, Century Media Records   

Jason Fisher    November 19, 2012