KRYPTOS– “Force of Danger”
By Colonel Angus
Now that the world is becoming a small place due to the internet, we get to really explore music from other corners of the globe. I have to admit, I was always stuck in the 80s mindset that the music I loved was only found in Europe, South America, and Japan. Little did I know that there was a healthy metal scene in other areaS like Bangalore, India. Safe to say, KRYPTOS was not on my radar nor were any of their releases. With a little research, I find that “Force of Danger” is their sixth full length album but since I don’t have any point of reference, I can only comment on this record and can’t compare it to their earlier material.
Having said that, this is one of my favorite disks that I have heard this year. The songs are more on the traditional heavy metal side with a good helping of thrash thrown in for good measure. The band manage to produce great chugging riff-tastic metal in the vein of ACCEPT and JUDAS PRIEST yet still make it sound fresh and new. Just grab a listen to “Dawnbreakers” or “Omega Point” for some great examples of the type of metal that would scratch that ACCEPT itch. Elsewhere, you get some great JUDAS PRIEST style riffing on “Force of Danger” and some great thrash in “Hot Wired” and “Nighthawk”. “Thunderchild” is power metal-ish with a heaping amount of melodic riffing tossed in to make the whole song more to my liking (I’m not the biggest fan of power metal). Honestly, there is not a dead moment on the whole disk and it fits into that illustrious list of metal albums that are “all killer and no filler”.
The band consists of singer and guitarist Nolan Lewis, Rohit Chaturvedi on lead guitar, Ganesh Krishnaswamy on bass, and Vijit Singh on drums. Even though the whole band is beyond just solid musicians, I have to say that the guitar work is what really stood out for me. Both Lewis and Chaturvedi provide great riffing and melodic soloing that really elevates “Force of Danger”. Also, Lewis has a great metal voice and his phrasing reminds me a lot of Udo Dirkschneider, which is a good thing. As mentioned before, these guys know what they’re doing when it comes to composing catchy and powerful metal tunes. 2021 is not quite over yet but I can’t imagine “Force of Danger” not being on my top 10 list for this year. Now that this release has opened my eyes to KRYPTOS, I need to get their earlier records and see what I have been missing.