After 25 Years, Cryptopsy’s Whisper Supremacy Remains as Loud as It Ever Was

In the pantheon of tech death, and really death metal all together, Cryptopsy‘s Whisper Supremacy is a significant album that continues to rip to this day. As one of the first to push boundaries within the genre in terms of technicality and complexity, it still stands out 25 years later.

Take a look at the tracklist and you’ll find songs that are jam packed full of intricate riffs, blast beats, and odd time signatures. You may not remember (or weren’t even conceived yet), but 1998 was a time when death metal was still very much embracing the second wave of old-school death metal and finding its footing in more technical waters.

To that end, Cryptopsy came out swinging and really found their sound on this, their third full-length record. Whisper Supremacy helped solidify their legacy as a Canadian powerhouse and put Canada on the map for death metal.

The album also pushed boundaries when it came to experimenting with jazz elements and other genre infusions. It helped put Century Media on the map as a label that would work with bands willing to buck trends and experiment within the confines of death metal. And that’s still something they’re living up to today.

Probably the most well-known song on the album is “Cold Hate, Warm Blood.” The blast beats, riffs, and extreme gutturals helped pioneer brutal and technical death metal, and the song in general is just a banger. My personal favorite is “Flame to the Surface,” a song that absolutely punishes with emphasis on blasting and straightforward brutality. I also really appreciate “Loathe” for having a bit more melody in the song structure. The record also sets the tone for atmosphere with interlude-style tracks like “White Worms” and “Faceless Unknown.”

So as you’re checking out the plethora of solid death metal releases that drop today, let’s also remember the classics—and Whisper Supremacy is definitely one of them.