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Rating:
This review is a double-edged sword: while on the one hand, it's impossible that I would criticize this live, it's only fair that I express my reservations and small disappointments. This concert is absolutely useless; those who knew them already knew that Cryptopsy could play, and those who have never listened to them certainly will not start here.
But let's move on to a more objective analysis. Cryptopsy, a hyper-technical Brutal Death band from Canada, have always stood out for their talent: the members are undoubtedly among the best musicians on the international scene, with performance and composition skills far above average. Even the most stubborn detractor of this musical genre would agree that they are some sort of magicians, acrobats of instrumental technique.
After an EP and four Full Lengths, they decided to record a Live, specifically the one held in Montreal on June 1, 2002 (although the CD only started circulating in 2003). The lineup undergoes a radical change: instead of Mike DiSalvo, the band's singer and the architect of Cryptopsy’s openness to experimentation, Martin Delacroix sings. He was hired only for the Live recording and managed to mold his voice to synthesize both the aforementioned singing style and that of the first singer, Lord Worm, which are diametrically opposed and very difficult to reconcile. Despite the difficulties of the task, Delacroix succeeds in rendering almost perfectly the songs of both singers without altering them in the slightest: yet a band of this caliber cannot settle for such a personality-lacking growling, hence Lord Worm’s return in the latest studio album, "Once Was Not." The guitarists are absolutely indispensable; it's surprising how they manage to perform their pieces live even faster than on record. Impressive. But the crowning gem of the band is undoubtedly the monstrous (to say the least) drummer Flo Mounier, a sort of precise automaton endowed with undisputable genius for the instrument: the drummer seeks to surpass himself with unsustainable and decidedly superhuman speeds (I wonder how he makes it to the end of the concert that lasts fifty minutes). The bassist can be compared to the inhuman drummer mentioned earlier: perfect bass breaks that demonstrate rare talent and songs executed masterfully send him directly to the Olympus of bassists.
In short, "None So Live" (with a clear allusion to their masterpiece "None So Vile" ) presents itself as a perfect Live, the pride of metalheads who want to demonstrate to the world that even in their music there are people who know how to play; but unfortunately, if that is not the intention, this CD amounts to very little. It is in fact so cold and mathematical that it takes away all the pleasure of listening to a group play live: as in, when one listens to a concert, it is because they crave real and live sounds, while this record does not meet this desire. Not that I wished for major mistakes or execution errors, heaven forbid, but the involvement remains low. It reminds me of "Live In LA" by Death, a stunning and very technical concert, but infinitely more raw and spontaneous. It should be added that the songs, due to terrible mixing, are barely recognizable to those not familiar with them, which does not do justice to pieces often performed better than on record. However, the main flaw lies in the excessive virtuosity of the work: their technique is so flaunted that it makes this live a mere exercise in skill, a demonstration that wasn’t necessary. Just think of the "Drum Solo," a three-minute frenzy where Mounier demonstrates his extraordinary ability to the point of nauseating the listener. Even though it leaves one wide-eyed and forces repeated listening to fully understand, this unnecessary interlude remains a stylistic boast they could have left out. With a hint of malice, one might finally make some insinuation about the small number of tracks offered, ten (out of four studio albums recorded) excluding the Intro and the drum solo; however, it must be recognized that performing more than a dozen songs in such a way would become difficult even for Cryptopsy.
In short, an excellent concert that leaves no doubt to Brutal Death detractors regarding the musicians' abilities, a live where the pieces are magnificently reproduced: a little more humility, however, wouldn't hurt.
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