Kryptos – ‘The Coils Of Apollyon’

With the tentacles of heavy metal now reaching into almost every corner of the known world, one scene which has been growing in both strength and profile over recent years is that in India. 

Among those leading the charge of acts from the sub continent are this four piece from Bangalore:  formed back in 1998 and with two albums (2004’s self-released ‘Spiral Ascent’ and ‘The Age Of Gemini’, released on the Californian Old School Metal label in 2007) already under their collective belts, Kryptos were the first Indian band to undertake a European tour and now cement their position with an international deal with Germany’s AFM Records for the release of this, their third album.

The band very obviously grew up on NWOBHM – and particularly Iron Maiden, as the British lions are very heavily referenced throughout:  the opening instrumental gallop of ‘The Mask Of Anubis’ could be plucked straight from any Maiden song over the past three decades, from the ‘Arry-esque bass riff of Jayawant Tewari to a guitar line which could so easily have been a cast off from messrs Murray et al – vocalist Nolan Lewis even sounds like a brusquer, gnarlier Paul Di’Anno, making you wonder, especially on the likes of ‘Serpent Mage’, what classics such as ‘Seventh Son…’ might have sounded like if The Beast was still on microphone duty….

The aforesaid ‘Serpent Mage’ (drawing comparison to Maiden by virtue of its length as much as anything else) also is the first track to display the band’s other overt influence – classic Bay Area thrash:  this is especially evident in some of Ryan Colaco’s drum patterns and Rohit Chaturvedi’s lead work.  The Maiden/thrash crossover is accentuated further during ‘Nexus Legion’, during which Lewis’ vocal takes on more of a snarl, giving more of a Megadeth-meets-Jag Panzer vibe to proceedings.

It’s perhaps inevitable that a band from what would be described by the business press as an “emerging market” would wear their influences so heavily on their sleeves:  that’s not a bad thing, and there are moments of originality, coupled with solid performances and decently written songs, such as the intro to the otherwise Testament-ish ‘Eternal Crimson Spires’.

[5/10]

Track list:

1.  The Mask Of Anubis
2. The Coils Of Apollyon
3. Serpent Mage
4. Nexus Legion
5. Eternal Crimson Spires
6. Spellcraft
7. Starfall
8. Vision Of Dis
9. The Isle Of Voices

‘The Coils Of Apollyon’ is released on AFM Records on September 24th and can be ordered by clicking the Amazon link below. 

http://www.kryptosindia.com