Krysantemia
Finis Dierum

The Krysantemia are the kind of band that leaves you with a bitter aftertaste. They have potential, a good punch, and are equipped with great instrumental technique, but perhaps their ideas on what to do are a bit unclear. Let’s be clear, if we were talking about their debut album “This is resurrection,” I probably would have already concluded this review by criticizing them, which is something you can't do with “Finis Dierum.” In this new chapter, we could say we are faced with a work with multiple nuances, some commendable, others less so. The album starts with “In corpus diaboli” where an old-school, airless death metal seems to want to present the band as the classic U.S.-made proposal. Nothing could be further from the truth since it then shifts to a German school thrash/death (think Kreator) which places the band in a more fitting scenario for their mood, reaching a “core” oriented sound akin to the latest In Flames, enriched with a powerful groove. In short, there are various ingredients in the pot, which usually leads to confusing the listener without a clear stylistic line in front of them. So let’s analyze each aspect specifically, trying to reach a final summary:
Death metal: this is perhaps the poorly executed side of Krysantemia, a band that manages very well in terms of sustained speed and murderous zeal but struggles significantly to embody this type of music.
German school thrash/death: This is their natural environment, they know what they're doing, and all in all, they manage to be engaging to listen to, as in the case of the excellent “Incarnation.”
“Core”/Swedish death metal: Here, the foundations for building something interesting are present; certainly, the challenge is not to become a poor imitation of Soilwork, In Flames, and the like. “Six feet away” I think is the perfect track to start thinking about a new album, a bomb-proof sound wall and guitars with rough, at times catchy riffs.
In conclusion: The Krysantemia are the classic band maturing over the years; they started slowly, having adjusted their aim nowadays with “Finis Dierum.” An album I personally define as the middle ground between a past devoid of significant signals and a future with good insights but hybrid in its structure. Now it’s up to them to understand which paths to undertake.