Review / 200 Words Or Less
Odious Mortem
Cryptic Implosion

Willowtip (2007) M.J.

Odious Mortem – Cryptic Implosion cover artwork
Odious Mortem – Cryptic Implosion — Willowtip, 2007

Odious Mortem's website describes their sound as employing "technical, dark, and experimental aspects of the death metal genre." When I think death metal I think Nile, Suffocation, maybe even Slayer. Odious Mortem are what Slayer might sound like if you replaced Kerry King with a jet engine. Vaguely reminiscent of early Fear Factory and Dillinger Escape Plan, for the most part Cryptic Implosion just feels long-winded. I mean, let's take a sample lyric:

"Cumulative idelogies the convergence of intentions. Forced schizophrenia by these vast abstractions of life disguised by false utility."

This sort of foolishness goes on and on and it just leaves me exasperated. Not confused or impressed; just shaking my head and wondering if the next track will have anything different to offer. I know Carcass did the whole big words thing too ("Brittle testes eroded in hot, corrosive succus") but at least they were cohesive. The album even ends on a coolly cosmological note, à la Cult of Luna, yet any potential enigma is lost in the preceding assault. It's all suitably extreme enough to satisfy those who crave this kind of off-the-hookiness, but I'm left wondering why they even bothered putting breaks between the identical-sounding songs.

4.0 / 10M.J. • July 12, 2007

Odious Mortem – Cryptic Implosion cover artwork
Odious Mortem – Cryptic Implosion — Willowtip, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

The Brokedowns

Let's Tips The Landlord
Red Scare Industries (2025)

I've reviewed a lot of Brokedowns records over the years. First, I'll say I love the band and I honestly feel like they keep getting better. Second, I'll say that this record threw a couple of surprises at me. The band play multi-vocalist poppish punk in the school of Dillinger Four or Errth, albeit more on the angry side. There … Read more

Dumbells

Up Late With
Mind Melt Records (2025)

When I started my end of year list this year I asked my pal Joel from Portland’s Dumpies to share his best of 2025 playlist with me. Several songs caught my attention which I, in turn, went and checked out the albums from which they had come. The one that has quickly climbed up my year end list over the … Read more

Osiah

Aion
Unique Leader (2025)

Deathcore is a genre that’s constantly threatening to eat itself alive. For every band trying to push boundaries, there are ten more content to recycle the same breakdowns, the same vocal gymnastics, the same studio-polished violence. Osiah, however, have never been interested in playing it safe and their latest EP Aion is proof that they’re still operating on a level … Read more