| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Alternative Press | 5/5[2] |
| Blabbermouth |   [3] |
| BW&BK | 9/10[4] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 8.5/10[5] |
| Stylus Magazine | B+[6] |
Once Was Not is the fifth album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy.
Once Was Not is the first album to feature original vocalist Lord Worm since 1996's None So Vile, and would be his last with the band. It is also the first album not to feature original guitarist Jon Levasseur. Unlike previous albums, where Lord Worm's lyrical content consisted of gore, blasphemy, and sex, his lyrics on Once Was Not dealt with topics that affect the human race, such as war, famine, plague, and death.
A digipack edition was released, limited to 10,000 copies, which comes in an embossed digipack with an entirely gold-ink-printed booklet.
A video was filmed for the track "The Pestilence That Walketh in Darkness".
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Luminum" | 1:45 |
| 2. | "In the Kingdom Where Everything Dies, the Sky Is Mortal" | 5:21 |
| 3. | "Carrionshine" | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Adeste Infidelis" | 4:38 |
| 5. | "The Curse of the Great" | 5:21 |
| 6. | "The Frantic Pace of Dying" | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Keeping the Cadaver Dogs Busy" | 5:58 |
| 8. | "Angelskingarden" | 7:07 |
| 9. | "The Pestilence that Walketh in Darkness (Psalm 91: 5-8)" | 3:26 |
| 10. | "The End" | 2:49 |
| 11. | "Endless Cemetery" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Cold Hate, Warm Blood" (live) (Japanese bonus track) | |
| 13. | "We Bleed" (live) (Japanese bonus track) | |
| Total length: | 49:40 | |
Personnel
Cryptopsy
- Lord Worm – vocals
- Alex Auburn – guitar, backing vocals
- Eric Langlois – bass guitar
- Flo Mounier – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Jon Levasseur – guitar on "Luminium"
- François Quévillon – artwork, design
- Martin Lacroix – artwork, illustration
- Ange Curcio – engineering (drums)
- U.E. Nastasi – mastering
- Sébastien Marsan – production, engineering, mixing
- Filip Ivanovic – booklet cover, back cover illustrations
References
- ^ "Once Was Not - Cryptopsy - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Heisel, Scott (31 January 2006). "Give the drummer some--or else". Alternative Press. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ "Roadrunner Records Page Not Found". Roadrunner Records Official Website.
- ^ Perri, David. "Hardwares: Cryptopsy - Once Was Not". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ Azevedo, Pedro (10 October 2005). "Cryptopsy - Once Was Not : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ Lee, Cosmo (25 October 2005). "Cryptopsy - Once Was Not - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 6 June 2009.