Of the few bands I've run across hailing from the Indian subcontinent, most have been of the extreme variety; either Death or Black. Bangalore's Kryptos follows the trend with respect to the vocals, which are a relatively decipherable Death growl (no Cookie Monster burps here). Musically, however, Kryptos unleash a much more Traditional and, at times, Thrash, attack. So many bands around the world borrow heavily from Iron Maiden and Kryptos is definitely in that camp. The riffing may be more aggressive but the guitar lines are quite melodic and the solos of Nolan Lewis and Rohit Chaturvedi are straight out of the Murray/Smith school, especially the sound they elicit from their instruments. All you'll need to do is listen to the back-and-forth between the two during the lead breaks on "Serpent Mage" or "Starfall" and you'll feel like you're back in 1981 listening to Killers. There aren't a lot of other elements on Kryptos' third album, The Coils of Apollyon, that stick out but there are no songs that you'll need to skip, either. While there aren't one or two true killer tracks, the whole album is solid from start to finish. The Coils of Apollyon has a wonderfully Traditional foundation yet retains a heavy, in-your-face Thrash vibe. It is the perfect album for Traditional Metal fans that have always shied away from "extreme" vocals, to start expanding their horizons.
