CRYPTA started initially as a side project of Fernanda Lira when she still was the vocalist of NERVOSA, the all-female Thrash Metal band from Brazil. In April 2020, she and Luana Dametto left the band and CRYPTA became a serious project. The recruitment was quickly done when Taina Bergamaschi (ex-HAGBARD) and Dutch axe-girl Sonia Anubis (ex-BURNING WITCHES, COBRA SPELL) joined the band. Only one year later, they released their debut full-length album via Austrian label Napalm Records. "Echoes Of The Soul" was recorded at Family Mob Studio in Sao Paulo, Brazil and it was mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio in Sweden. The album has a length of about 42 minutes.

Only five months after NERVOSA came up with their first album of the post-Lira/Dametto era, it is now CRYPTA's turn and whoever thought it would be similar in style is on the wrong side of things. The recruitment of two guitarists including the renowned Sonia Anubis indicated already that there will be differences. More importantly, the last NERVOSA album with Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto included more and more traditional Death Metal elements, especially brought in by the drumming of Luana Dametto. All that set the stage for having now a new global player in the Death Metal world!

 "Echoes Of The Soul" is predominantly a traditional Death Metal album with a few Thrash Metal vibes and with a lot of melodic elements. In principle, the album is a 40 minutes pummeling driven by the merciless rhythm section of the bass and drums. "Starvation" is one of those tracks that sets the stage of the album: straight forward textures played at high speed with flesh-ripping guitar riffing, crunching bass lines, and hammering drums. The growling vocals of Fernanda Lira always had a high degree of aggression and intensity due to her highly pitched gutturals and the sound of CRYPTA fits perfectly to her vocals. One key feature of the album is the extended and harmonic lead guitar solos of both shredders. That gives the sound of the album an extra dimension.

"Possessed" is one of my favorite songs on the album. Introduced by the dark sound of the lead guitars, it is driven by the relentless drumming of Luana Dametto accompanied by a dominating bass and relatively simple but dark guitar riffs. Played mainly at mid-tempo, the highlight is another lead guitar solo by both guitarists that shows how well they play together. Taina Bergamaschi really raises to the challenge to play alongside Sonia Anubis. There are a couple of songs played at mid-tempo and one of them is "Death Arcana" which includes a few BEHEMOTH vibes from the "Demigod" period. The guitar riffing is here a bit catchier compared to the rest of the album and the lead guitar solo is not overly technical, just perfect for the song.

"Shadow Within", "Kali", and "Blood Stained Heritage" are some of those tracks played blisteringly fast and are bludgeoning the listener, but they also have a strong dark melodic component especially "Shadow Within". "Kali" has a simpler structure and also a more straight forward guitar riffing. The rhythm of "Blood Stained Heritage" reminded me at least partially on early NERVOSA material. Needless to mention the outstanding lead guitar contributions of the guitarists with the lead guitar solo on "Blood Stained Heritage".

"Dark Night Of The Soul" is one of the highlights on "Echoes Of The Soul". Starting with an Arabian-inspired short intro, it transitions into a short mid-tempo verse section with another set of catchy guitar riffing, followed by another transition led by Luana Dametto towards pummeling speed. Luana Dametto does what she simply does best: hammering blast-beat outbursts and excellent double-bass parts. The structure of the track is a bit more complex with changing tempos and breaks, and once again, great lead guitar contributions. The album's final song "From The Ashes" is perhaps best representative for the whole album and it is the video release of "Echoes Of The Soul" with the YouTube link given below.

CRYPTA deliver an outstanding debut album. "Echoes Of The Soul" is a mixture of traditional Death Metal, Thrash Metal, and melodic Death Metal elements. The album is driven by the symbiosis of the aggression and intensity of Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto combined with the melodic elegance of Sonia Anubis and Taina Bergamaschi. With the album, CRYPTA establish their very own and unique sound. The album is very well produced. "Echoes Of The Soul" is a must-have for every Death Metal fan and CRYPTA are on their way to become a serious force in Death Metal in the future.