CRYOGENIC: ego-noria

Produced by Tony Jarrett

Released: 1999

Cryogenic was unquestionably Sydney's number one metal band for a couple of years and their second album was a way for them to prove their true mettle. Complete with a unique die-cut cover that was truly an original if a problematic touch, ego-noria was the culmination of the band's achievements up to that point.

ego-noria begins with a face-ripping fury as "Analysis" kicks open the door. With no more than a tiny pause, "Directionally One" continues to tear the place apart, meaty riffs and a full-throated war cry teaming with a thunderous rhythm section and some excellent production to help the damage along. Strangely however, for a band that sounds so pissed off, ego-noria is a strikingly positive record. Within 18 months they had gone from a popular pub band to playing the country's largest stages with Slayer and the Big Day Out, and much about ego-noria was a reflection of their success in the years leading up to it.

Ego-noria showed a band whose talent had developed and whose outlook had matured in the period since their previous album Suspended Animation had been released less than two years before. Darren Maloney sounds much more comfortable on this, making a fuller use of his vocal talent and injecting a strong clean style into his normal bullroar assault. This is also true for the rest of the band, now comfortable enough to add some subtler, introspective tracks like "T.Y.T.D. (Cliffo)", about the suicide of a close friend, or "Shock Value" along the more rapacious thrash of "Death by Misadventure" for example with its fearsome, black metal style guitar, although "Redneck" showed that they hadn't quite outgrown their yob aspect just yet.

There was still something of the Pantera about the feel and execution of Cryogenic's music on this album, but the progression toward something more of their own style was evident and ego-noria was most certainly a world-class metal album for its time. Had they decided to continue in this vein instead of the questionable route they took from this point their next album may have been very special indeed.

1. Analysis
2. Directionally One
3. Death by Misadventure
4. Conspiracy Theory
5. Hate My Head
6. Fall On
7. T.Y.T.D. (Cliffo)
8. Full Grown State
9. Stalemate
10. Redneck
11. Shock Value

Rating: 87%