From Bandcamp, “CRATOPHANE's music is a sonic journey full of surprises. "These are compositions that fall into the realm of a kind of instrumental, psychedelic, and cosmic prog metal," the band says, "in a spirit somewhere between BLIND IDIOT GOD and PELICAN, but played by fans of VOIVOD and ALUK TODOLO, with a mix of zeuhl-style melodies and many very dissonant, even noisy passages. In other words, a sort of RUSSIAN CIRCLES on LSD, trapped in an inhospitable parallel dimension." The album has six songs, and “Ranx” is first. It has a slow buildup of drums along with a good deal of tension. Odd and eerie noise follow, along with a staunch bass line and synths underneath. It borrows a hole deep into the ground and then dives in in, exploring the darkest recesses of the earth. What develops after can best be described as an evil groove…or even an evil jaunt. The beast slithers with a crooked smile, sensing the smell of his victims. The animated bass line and psychedelic additions really help the song to open up as well. “Fleur de Peau” is next, and it has playful opening tones, segueing into a hardened palate of psychedelic melodies, and some Progressive meters. Dissonant tones follow, but the trio’s sense of melody is strong, and they seem capable of bending either approach to their will.

“Eustice” has that twinge and fuzz of more psychedelica, again with some playful tones, and a wonderfully animated bass line. Even without vocals, this band can say a lot. It does morph into a dark groove, but it’s the kind that you can move along with and not feel guilty. “Samaris” has another dark groove to it, and again, it’s the type of darkness that you don’t necessarily feel, but also know it is out there. They play with it, almost like it’s a coveted pet, and let it out when they feel the mood is right. It keeps the skies circling among grey hues for me. The ending however is purely black. “Salamandre” is dark and dangerous out of the gate, with a weighted riff that rumbles deep in your chest. Then, another groove saunters in. It slithers like a serial killer on recognizance, making sure he has a clear path of escape. “De Bon Aloi” is the final song, and it has the twang of southern rock, along with a crushing groove. This band is indeed full of surprises. The leads are full of wah-wah, and Simon is an accomplished player. I found the somewhat complicated description of the sound above to be exactly what I heard on the album. I used the word “groove” rather liberally, but it was the one constant through an album that ran the gamut from Progressive Metal to Sludge Metal, to Psychedelic fuzz, and everything in between. In the end, it was just very pleasing to listen to.