"You learn more from your failures than your successes" is an old saying, but it's true in so many different contexts. And it’s a lesson that Cryptopsy has seemingly come to understand and internalize the hard way (which is how it usually happens, we can authentically report). 2008 wasn’t exactly a perfect year for Cryptopsy: The Unspoken King, the band’s then-latest album, was a disaster on several levels, none of which we'll get into here. However, Cryptopsy re-emerged in 2012 with its self-titled record, an album that saw the band in massively re-focused and re-energized form. The self-titled album was an undeniable success both critically and commercially, Cryptopsy doing the impossible and writing on levels that were on par with its genre-defining classics, Whisper Supremacy and None So Vile. Not only was Cryptopsy back, but the brand had new life.

Now, three years later, Cryptopsy returns with The Book Of Suffering – Tome I, the first of several upcoming EPs. Beginning with an audio sample that, in no uncertain terms, defines the Cryptopsy mandate at its peak (“The hearing of the sounds from hell is very real”), The Book Of Suffering is a continuation of the impressive work that was heard on the self-titled record. Playing with the ferocity and precision of a hungry new band with everything to prove, Cryptopsy has added immensely to its legacy since The Unspoken King's aftermath -- the band considers Tome I among its most brutal, dark and technical efforts, and the group is correct on all counts. Few have impressed as much as Cryptopsy since 2012.

Though this scribe is no fan of bands releasing a series of EPs instead of full albums (though I understand the economics of the current music industry can indeed make the full album a money-losing proposition), Tome I is one of the rare exceptions: when an EP is this good, one can’t help but look forward to the next installment. In the meantime, let’s call Tome I the natural heir to “Crown Of Thorns”, “Cold Hate, Warm Blood” and “Two-Pound Torch”.