CRYPTIC GRAVE is a French three piece known for their unabashed passion for old school death metal. They list their influences as OBITUARY, DEATH and BOLT THROWER and this is clearly showcased on their debut self-titled EP. Led by former guitarist/vocalist of TORGEIST, this trio from Bordeaux lay down a 22 minute beast of an album with plenty of raw, thick sounding riffs to unpack.

The album opens with a slow-burning atmosphere, clean guitars, slowly moving into a more sinister sound as they layer on some dissonant chords to hypnotize the listener a bit further. The opening track, titled "Through Death's Door" is short but sweet and sets the tone for the ensuing chaos ahead. It transitions into "Self-Mummified" as it eases the listener into a truly gritty groove, quite proving that they are not kidding when they say they are reviving a flame to the early days of death metal. It's reminiscent of OBITUARY and POSSESSED but they still pull off their own identity. Sprinkling on a few time-changes and a killer solo to boot, they prove early on that this are some seriously head-bangable jams.

Up next, we have "Sadistic Funeral," slowing it down a bit with an evil sounding groove but always making you wonder what is going to happen next. "Open Corpse" shows off their talent for layering guitars, a sick groove with a disorienting solo in the backdrop, just teasing the upcoming full frontal assault of a rhythm. Employing lots of double bass and skank beats, this is a band you can't help but admire for paying their respects to the death metal gods. The album closes with a total beatdown that is something akin to MORBID ANGEL. This moves into a slow, depression-inducing hall of pure atmospheric dread, bringing the album full circle with an intentionally executed response to the albums intro.

The ever-present battery backdrop keeps the whole album sounding very dark and almost hollow sounding. It's not a sound for the faint of heart, but it's something a lot of the old school listeners grew to love in the 80s and 90s. Not to mention the mid to high-pitched screams of the talented guitarist/vocalist, known simply as Richard. He is well versed in his craft, releasing two demos and a split with TORGEIST in the mid 90s.

Overall, while not the most original material, this is still a very solid EP that I would have to say deserves an 8/10, giving the listener exactly what they are looking for if this old-school style is up their alley. I am definitely looking forward to see what they do next.