ACTIVE: 2019–
I love death metal — and old school death metal even more. That said, I’m not one of those “true fans” who insist it has to sound demo-level raw (meaning shitty).
I’ve always preferred well-played, well-produced metal, regardless of the genre. If I want pure atmosphere and rough sound, I’ll go see a small club gig. This rant leads to this: I discovered Cryptic Hatred last year, even though they’ve been around a bit longer. They’re a Finnish band, but their sound is a refreshing mix of ’90s Swedish and US death metal. Well played, well produced — and catchy as hell.
After Sotajumala called it quits, I thought it would be hard to find similar local bands, but I was happily proven wrong. Cryptic Hatred and Unknown Subject are among the “newer” bands that have really surprised me in a good way. The latter is made up of long-time musicians (the drummer from Sotajumala, for example), while Cryptic Hatred are actually pretty young (but talented!) lads — about the same age as my oldest kids, in their twenties. Did I mention that they are damn good?
So yeah, Cryptic Hatred sketch it is!
CRYPTIC HATRED | pencil & fineliner on paper | 2025