Hanz Krypt: Tales from the Krypt

Time capsules are fascinating things. They seem to come out of nowhere and yet they were put together with the deliberate hope that they would one day come to light. This release is a little bit like that. It contains all the demo recordings of Hanz Krypt, a band from Southern California that formed back in the early 1980s, recorded some music, and then disbanded or moved on to other things. If this all seems familiar, there are at least two reasons for that. First, this is the second time this material has been collected and reissued. Second, there have been a few other bands that have taken this route with their relatively rare music.

I honestly don’t know if this band had much of a following back in the day. What I do know is that Southern California had a pretty vibrant metal scene at the time and Hanz Krypt certainly has the kind of Black Sabbath or Pentagram vibe that would have appealed to people looking for something outside of the growing glam market. Remember, too, that the early 80s was the time when speed metal was growing in popularity and that this band was trying to stick with the power of doom. It’s pretty cool to hear the way these guys worked with Sabbath-inspired material into something all their own. Even better, it’s all fairly well-realized.

Is this worth checking out? Yes, especially if you want to open that early 80s time capsule and hear what one group of Sabbath and Pentagram devotees were doing. It’s also kind of cool to get a bigger picture of Southern California metal at the time. There was much more going on than we tend to remember. The music itself sounds pretty good and it’s easy to see that these guys were fairly talented and ambitious. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but as I mentioned above, the solid songwriting and well-realized aesthetic works pretty well.

If you’re interested in this one, I’d suggest just dropping in somewhere and see what you find. I found something new on every listen, but I enjoyed “The Forbidden Zone� and “Crimson Cocktails� every time. I also liked “Rainbow Goblins� and not just because the title sounds like something from a role playing game.

Track Listing:
1. Wasting Time
2. Mad Medicine
3. Resurrection / Never Fails
4. The Forbidden Zone
5. Lord of the Knights
6. Freedom Falls
7. Blind Dog
8. Crimson Cocktails
9. Electric Warrior
10. Resurrection
11. Never Fails
12. Rainbow Goblins

Added: November 6th 2021
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Metal Archives Page
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Language: english

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