When I hear an album like Out of the Garden, I sometimes wonder why metal bands are often so intent on putting out releases that sound like they could have come out twenty or thirty years ago. We really do prize the traditionalists—the ones who can take the same combination of riffs, solos, and soaring vocals and turn out something familiar. On this, their debut full-length, Philadelphia’s Crypt Sermon seem to answer that question by simply saying: “why not?” Of course, there isn’t anything on this album that hasn’t been done somewhere before, but it’s still an enjoyable one to listen to.

Crypt Sermon’s most obvious influence is Candlemass, often to the point where the similarity between the two is difficult to ignore. Frontman Brooks Wilson sounds a lot like Candlemass’s Johan Längqvist during “Byzantium,” when he intones the titular chorus over heavy guitar. This contrast is highly reminiscent of what Candlemass is best known for. The problem with comparisons is that one party always comes up short, and unfortunately, it’s usually Crypt Sermon. Out of the Garden makes it clear that it’s quite difficult to write a song as catchy as “Bewitched” while still retaining a sense of the epic.

As continued homage to the legacy of Candlemass, Out of the Garden takes the “epic” in its genre tag very seriously. The beginning of each song sounds like it’s well aware of the fact that it’s going to be five to seven minutes long with at least one solo, often starting with a slowed-down intro before the first verse. There are lyrics about riding into battle, ancient empires, and demons, which drive the album further out of the modern era. Out of the Garden reminds me of Pilgrim’s II: Void Worship from last year, which also fell so far back into tradition it felt as though it could have come from any year in the past 30.

The good news about Out of the Garden is that even though isn’t innovative, it’s still expertly-crafted. Guitar parts move effortlessly from riffs to soloing and back, all played with skill and some degree of restraint. More importantly, the album doesn’t wear out its welcome. Instead, the familiar patterns of the songs become kind of comforting and there are some great moments. There’s the chorus of “Byzantium” for one, but the true highlight is near the end of the final track, “Out of the Garden.” The song builds up to the moment where Wilson yells, “The demons now know my name!” before dropping into a solo. Wilson’s voice is powerful and commanding, and his decision to stop playing bass and concentrate on vocals has really paid off.

I didn’t want this review to be a statement on the usefulness (or lack thereof) of traditional metal in this day and age. There certainly is a market for this music, and maybe people need to just stop worrying about influences or who came up with what, and just enjoy what they’re listening to. Sometimes a band’s just more than averagely aware of their influences, and sometimes that translates to a solid record. The guys in Crypt Sermon are clearly one of those bands, and Out of the Garden is one of those records.

-Joy

Out of the Garden will be out on February 24 on Dark Descent Records. For more information on Crypt Sermon, visit the band’s Facebook page.

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