Some artists really wear their hearts on their sleeves when it comes to influences, and that isn't necessarily a terrible thing. Not every artist who comes along is obligated to be groundbreaking or innovative; in fact, chances are that the majority of artists who come along won't have the innovative spirit one associates with trendsetters like
Nirvana,
Black Sabbath,
John Coltrane,
Run-D.M.C.. and
Charlie Parker. And when artists do wear their hearts on their sleeves in terms of influences, and function as followers rather than leaders, the question becomes, "Are they good followers?" In the case of
Kryoburn, the answer is generally yes. The New Mexico outfit doesn't do anything terribly original on this
alternative metal disc, which makes it clear that
Kryoburn's members have a spent a lot of time listening to
Fear Factory and
Strapping Young Lad. But a lack of originality doesn't automatically make Enigmatic Existence a bad album; actually, this 2005 release is generally decent -- at least if one enjoys a big dose of crushing brutality. Much of the time,
Kryoburn pounds the listener into submission with a dense, violent, painfully heavy attack, but the alt-metallers aren't totally unforgiving; they sometimes lighten the load with some moody, spacy, eerie harmonies. Singer
Todd Brashear usually favors a barking vocal style that is full of burning anger, but he offers some clean vocals as well.
Brashear is one of the reasons for the
Fear Factory comparisons; it is obvious that he has been paying very close attention to
Fear Factory's
Burton C. Bell. But again,
Kryoburn is not obligated to reinvent the alt metal wheel -- and while Enigmatic Existence is mildly uneven, it has more ups than downs, and is a generally competent footnote in the alt metal scene of 2005. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
