Kryptoportikus - 2025 - Dark Rainbow

(43:25; Fastball Music)

Track list:
1. Stormy Seas 1:51
2. Imperial Machine 3:16
3. Dark Rainbow 4:17
4. The Wanderings of Ulysses 6:29
5. Argonautica Part I 1:29
6. Ruins of Troy 5:30
7. Medusa's Speech 1:13
8. The Curse of Medusa 4:12
9. Argonautica Part II 3:43
10. The Oracle 5:25
11. Sparta and Athens 4:22
12. Argonautica Part III 1:38

Line-up:
Chris Techritz - guitars
Franz Herde - vocals
with:
Tom Brenneis - bass
Marc Nickel - guitars
Alex Kreuch - keyboards
Jimmy Konsta - guitars
Oliver Holzwarth - bass
Trina Deuhart - voice
Spider the Akronaut - bass


German band Kryptoportikus started out back in 2023 or thereabouts, with guitarist Chris Techritz and vocalist Franz Herde as the permanent members of this creative unit and guest musicians filling in for the recording sessions. "Dark Rainbow" is their debut album, and was released by German label Fastball Music in the spring of 2025.

This is a good, old fashioned heavy metal album of the kind that we saw quite a few of back in the late 1980s. Like many bands back then, this crew doesn't stick to solely one aspect of the metal universe, but rather picks whatever form and style that suits the landscapes to be explored and the part of the story about to be told. The latter obviously being important as I understand that this is a concept album.

That being said, it would appear that thrash metal is the core foundation here, and the songwriters and the band know their way around this landscape and this tradition very well indeed. The rhythm section is on point to an impressive degree considering that the drums appear to be programmed, and the contributing bassists and guitar players deliver thick and compelling riffs and engaging guitar solo runs, with some tasteful keyboard details applied here and there.

Much the same can be said of the forays we get into more traditional heavy metal, a very fine instance of doom metal that appear here too, as well as a little bit of a flirt with power metal that is a part of one of the songs here too. The songwriting is strong, the musicians deliver the goods, and with a solid mix and production there is a lot to enjoy here.

There is a but here though, and that but are the lead vocals of Herde. I see that he is 70 years old at this point, and age has taken its toll on his vocals it would appear. The fine tone control isn't quite at the level required, the higher parts of the range sounds strained more often than not, and there is a vibrato present that doesn't always sound like it was a planned effect. The total experience is an odd one for me, and while taste in music as well as vocals always will be a bit of a subjective matter I'm left with an impression that for this album the vocals will be a divisive and limiting factor in its overall appeal.

Those who enjoy the type of band that skip back and forth between different varieties of metal but operate from a thrash metal foundation while doing so will be the most suitable crowd for this production, and those who recognize themselves in that description who also tend to be fascinated by concept albums even more so. The vocals will be the make or break factor here though, but for those who are less strict about their taste in vocals than I am and who otherwise recognize their taste in music to be inside of what I have described  above will find plenty to enjoy on this album.

Olav M. Björnsen, April 2025

Links:
https://www.backstagepro.de/kryptoportikus
https://www.fastball-music.com/