Only available on a very limited edition cassette tape, Crystal Larva‘s Sacrificial Blade is an intriguing phenomenon. The ten-minute, self-titled track is the only thing there is on tape, and the format makes it less than ideal for an accurate playback of the original material – the excerpt available on bandcamp is of much better quality than what you will be able to get on any tape player -, but it’s an interesting experience and composition. For the unboxing experience, I have written a post on Heavy Blog Is Heavy that should come out during the next week describing my initial thoughts and what the package includes. So, be sure to check out their page for that article. As for the music, ‘Sacrificial Blade’ is a monumental piece. Not for its length, but simply by how imposing it sounds. First, the programmed drums are relentless and play at inhuman speed, but what’s the most intimidating is the huge walls of sound created by the guitars and, perhaps, keyboards, accompanied by the very loud drums that resonate like a slowed-down ticking clock, awaiting your impending doom. Behind all of the linger the airy, distant screams that speak occult, obscure lyrics. They really add to the sound, even if they’re barely present in it. The single is impressive and quite rewarding to listen to, but you should act fast, if you want a copy, because there are only forty copies available, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. I’m excited to hear what the band will do, next.

Bandcamp