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Reviews

Kryptograf — The Eldorado Spell
(Apollon Records APO100, 2022, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-04-27

The Eldorado Spell Cover art

On their second album, Kryptograf’s sound expands with influences further afield than the Black Sabbath heavy rock we heard on their debut. The Eldorado Spell features ten tracks of heavy riffs, odd meters, catchy melodies, acoustic interludes, and vintage keyboards. Often, there’s a distinct flavor of Captain Beyond, taking blues-based riffs and twisting them enough to please a fan of math rock. When they settle into a slow riff, the Sabbath vibe is still there, and the lead vocals are sometimes very reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne’s tone. They’re really good at that kind of rock, but it’s no longer all they do. When they bump up the tempo, they show their stuff with some really tight playing, and prove their value as more than just 70s revivalists. I really like the way they mix things up, as  in “When the Witches,” where the verses are in five, the guitar solo is in seven, and the connecting bits are mostly in four. There’s a trippy feeling at times that really enhances the impact of the riffs. If you like your riffs heavy and contrasted with lots of variety, Kryptograf is a great choice for your listening. They’re not as proggy as Qoph was (another band that took after Captain Beyond), but they’re not not proggy.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Kryptograf

More info
http://kryptograf.bandcamp.com/album/the-eldorado-spell

 

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