Neuthrone

This was a blind purchase many years ago under the presumption of high quality blackened death metal courtesy of the Polish scene. That is certainly a risk I would take again, as I find Poland to be one of the major hotbeds when it comes to this particular "modernized" rendering of the well-traveled genre crossroads. Although they began existence as a decidedly more docile late second wave melodic black metal act, Crionics ended up applying the same industrial gloss as Thy Disease and to a lesser extent, Vesania. Thy Disease is the most important frame of reference here, because Neuthrone evokes an eerily similar aesthetic as albums like Anshur-Za. It is for all intents and purposes sparsely industrialized death metal, and the band is competent in displaying their strengths from the outset.

To continue with the positive, Neuthrone is a sonic tour de force, absolutely nailing the ideal guitar tone. To evoke that necessary roiling war machine aesthetic, the distortion must be brute and caustic, yet mechanically rigid. On its own this is nothing more than a menagerie of presets, but once siphoned into the moderately paced, landscape-razing chugging that dominates the record, it begins to pick up some steam. As mentioned, Neuthrone dips heavily into the death metal side of the equation, which means that while there is some blackened allure to the sneering vocals and occasionally droning riffing progressions, it serves only as augmentation. So in a way this is closer to later Zyklon (plus synths) as opposed to something like Behemoth. Although to be frank, more than a few of these riffs could pass on The Apostasy or the more traditional moments of Demigod. A tangible accretion of demonic energy shines through the occasionally aimless guitar patterns, salvaging otherwise clunky numbers like "New Pantheon," which totally apes the main riff from Vesania's "God the Lux."

That said, elsewhere the band racks up a sizable body count with succinct ragers like "Arrival 2033" and the lumbering stomp of "NeuThronAeon," which sees the band at their best, working up that sludgy discord laid atop incessant double bass. Speaking of Kowalski's drums, it is perhaps worth noting that Crionics extensively feature that low-speed blasting that signifies many Polish acts. This finds itself in natural and lucrative lockstep when the riffs start cooking up a mean 'ol groove, and thankfully this aesthetic is omnipresent throughout Neuthrone. I suppose I'm something of a sucker for churning and visceral modern death metal like this, but to be honest there aren't any overt shortcomings in Crionics' approach, with the band's biggest obstacle being the older fanbase, who were apparently ticked off which the stylistic shift evident over the band's career.

In any event, we finally come to the electronic constituent, which never really figures out what it wants to do. One moment there are digitized backing vocals straight out of Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, the next there are upbeat techno webbings that sound more like the aforementioned Thy Disease. The lyrics are somewhat introspective and creative, but the vocals delivering them aren't exactly going to change many minds. Just a lightly-distorted throaty grunt, sounding very much like Orion's performance on later Vesania. Neuthrone is worth a listen if you are a fan of modern death metal, as its riffing backbone is pretty solid. That said, this material features virtually no innovation, and the band doesn't have a particularly distinct identity. For me, this is decent enough, and its a shame the band threw in the towel.

It seems to me that everyone who dislikes this band has a major hard-on for Behemoth. While I won’t deny they are an amazing band, I don’t feel they should be used as a benchmark in deciding the quality of other bands’ music. Is a non-biased review too much to ask for here? I will try to express the true nature of this album without bias or comparisons with other bands. For some, it would seem that unless an album is absolutely and truly “brutal”, it is not worth listening to. But not all of us need the reassurance of the most “truly brutal” album to enjoy metal.

The major aspect of this album that I recognize right off and enjoy the most is its industrial/sci-fi effect, which is unlike most other black/death metal albums. Of course, it’s apparent that some view that as a major negative simply because it is not an album more closely reminiscent to that of more popular bands within the genre. However, Neuthrone is still very interesting and enjoyable in itself. It’s a very good album and worth having in your collection. I’m interested in seeing what Crionics can put out in the future.

The combination between the heavy guitars and fast paced, pounding drums, plus background synths, creates an atmosphere that is both dark and heavy, and eerie, reminiscent of something from a sci-fi horror flick. The variations in tempo, along with creative and catchy guitar riffs that vary considerably throughout, also add to the overall enjoyment of the album. One of my favorite aspects of Crionics, especially in this album, is their unique, harsh vocals. They are raw and brutal, but not so low that you cannot distinguish between words. Overall, I feel it creates a more hastened effect and sense of horrifying urgency, something that really adds to the atmosphere achieved in Neuthrone. The only negative of this album that I would like to see improved is the technicality of the drums and double bass, which can seem too machine-like and artificial at times, though it may have been intentional so as to add to the desired effect of the album.

Nevertheless, each song is distinctive and noticeably different, and overall offer more individual enjoyment when listening to the album all the way through than it’s given credit for. I feel this album can be related more closely with Myrkskog’s Deathmachine than anything of Behemoth or Hate, so there really is no point comparing them. I hate to see the reputation of decent, creative and different bands such as Crionics tarnished because of the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of others.

All in all, Neuthrone offers something different in the world of black/death metal. And while it isn’t the most amazing album ever created, it does show a lot of potential for the band and the genre and offers a great listen for those that are looking for something different, but still very heavy, and who are willing to give it a chance and won’t just discount it immediately because of its level of “brutality”. Listen to this album for what it is, not for what it isn’t. Stand out tracks are Neu.Throne.Aon, Humanmeat Cargo, Frozen Hope, as each express the diversity of the album.

I have heard so much praise about this band. I've heard about how "great" and "interesting" Crionics is from many a person. I cannot say I agree with those people. Crionics is one of the worst blackened death acts, if not THE worst, I have ever heard. They make the lot of the deathcore bands sound original and innovative with their thousands of breakdowns and dissonant notes. Generic is putting it lightly when you speak about this band's musical talents, or lack thereof in this case.

My first problem with this specific album is the absolute lack of substance in the guitar riffs put forth for my listening displeasure. Waran cannot write a good riff for the life of him. The guitar just chugs along repeating that same riff they opened each song with, just in twenty different ways, so one will not pick up on his lack of true genius. Hell, the first riff in New Pantheon sounds like the last riff played in When The Sun Goes Out... . It is almost impossible to differentiate from one song to the next. The riffs are just recycled riffs thrown away by the good Polish acts such as Hate and Behemoth. I cannot stress enough how boring the guitar riffs are. They are nearly sleep inducing. Then Waran tries making the songs sound br00t4l by adding breakdowns into most of them. The breakdowns really get on my nerves because they last way too long are really not that good, to be completely honest. The bassist just follows the guitar riffs, so he is of little importance anyway. There is no point in really mentioning him other than saying that he obviously lacks the brains to make up a creative bass line.

Instead of saving the lack of guitar substance, the rest of the instruments just add to the pain of listening to Neuthrone. The synths are barely there in the album and when they are, all the add is a slight bit of industrial noise, something a good blackened death band does not need. Synths are supposed to add their own worthwhile piece to an album. Vac-V makes no such effort to make his synths do so. It is apparent that Vac-V knows little to nothing about the way synths are supposed to work. Back to the drawing board, Vac-V.

The drums were put into this album for sheer annoyance and offensiveness. At least Darkside succeeded at something on his drumkit. Other than said offensiveness and annoyance, Darkside showed nothing special. "Hey, he has fat feet, at least." So what? So he can blast away at the double pedals. It doesn't make up for his lack of topside talent. He blasts away at the snare for most of the album, with no variation to his drum fills. He occasionally his his cymbals and toms, but still loves to beat that snare into the ground. Thankfully, the drums weren't mixed in too loud, so it could be easily overlooked.

I still cannot believe I gave this album a chance. Perhaps Neuthrone was the wrong album to listen to first. I can only hope that you avoid this album like it was a Slipknot or Korn album. I suffered for not doing so. Do not give this album the time of day. Instead, go listen to Hate, Behemoth, or even Decapitated. Hell, give Infernal war a chance too. But not this album, or band.

Honestly, this is quite the load of cow feces. Basically, Crionics is stuck with this blunder of death metal mimicry at its very worst, and it's quite a painful experience in every area possible. So here’s the deal: Crionics is a death metal act with the occasional blackened hint for whatever reason, and they have this “Neuthrone” record that hovers over plagiarism because of its obvious unoriginality. You could just strap on a random Behemoth or Nile CD and get the same effect; if you’ve heard any death metal ever, you’ve already sat through “Neuthrone.”

Now there are times when a band can sneak away with a tiny bit of generic influence, but “Neuthrone” demonstrates the exact opposite with nothing but familiar musical platforms. Every riff, drum pattern, and vocal formation is seriously just a rehashed formula you’d hear anywhere, but only a lot more predictable, and a lot less interesting. And that’s really all there is to say about the music, because that’s all it is. Did these guys stop and think about what they were writing, and how uninspired it appeared? It’s like there’s not even a soul to Crionics! Forget about energy, passion, or originality, because it’s nowhere to be found.

It doesn’t take a smarty-pants to realize the cheap music and fourth-rate death metal persona that pisses on “Neuthrone,” but the vocals unquestionably hammer the last nails in the pre-ordered burial casket. Crionics has about the same heaviness as your typical brutal clone band, and with this observation comes the expectation of growling vocals or high-pitched bellows; however, this is not the case here. So instead of the usual styles, Crionics opts toward this odd anger-filled medium between growls and normal chatter. It’s somewhat hard to explain, but just know it sounds terrible when added into the rest of the music. To understand what you’re getting into, ask a smoker if he can sound like Sean Connery; that’s about what you can expect.

Crionics have quite possibly reached the absolute limit of redundancy a CD can absorb with “Neuthrone.” There is not a single moment of originality, individualism, or enjoyment in any way at all throughout this clueless toss-up; it’s just complete garbage from start to finish. Avoid this disgraceful waste of plastic and buy something actually worth your money.