The fall of communism in Eastern Europe had a tremendous impact on the music scenes of countries like Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia), and Bulgaria. Leninist and Stalinist hard-liners tended to take a dim view of anything other than Euro-classical and very traditional East European folk, and when those hard-liners were no longer in power, musicians suddenly had a lot more room for artistic expression. That is certainly true in post-communist Poland, where everything from hardcore rap to avant-garde jazz to bubblegum-dance-pop has flourished. Back in the days of communism, a death metal/black metal band like
Crionics would have been a no-no-; if communist hard-liners thought
Miles Davis'
Kind of Blue was subversive, one can only imagine what they would have thought of an album with titles like "Satanic Syndrome 666," "Hallowed Whores," and "Waterfalls of Darkness." Stalinists weren't fond of religion, but they weren't fans of the Occult either -- and Occult-minded themes abound on this bone-crushing CD.
Human Error: Ways to Self Destruction does not take any prisoners; despite the use of keyboards and a few nods to melody here and there,
Crionics thrive on sledgehammer brutality. It would be a stretch to describe Human Error as an example of the melodic death metal style that is associated with bands like
In Flames,
At the Gates,
Age of Ruin, and
Witchery; ultimately, this CD values bombast above all else. And while Human Error isn't overly original -- there are countless other death metal/black metal bands doing this type of thing -- it is a likable effort if one appreciates extreme metal (which is certainly an acquired taste). Many of the headbangers in the mosh pit aren't looking for intricacy -- they love exhilaration for the sake of exhilaration -- and listeners who fit that description will find that Human Error offers a decent, if predictable and less than distinctive, dose of bombast. ~ Alex Henderson