Cryptopsy
Country of origin:
Canada
Location:
Montreal, Quebec
Status:
Active
Year of creation:
1992
Genre:
Brutal/Technical Death Metal, Deathcore ("The Unspoken King")
Lyrical themes:
Horror, Gore, Death, Mutilation, Insanity
Current label:
Unsigned/independent
Flo Mounier: Drums, Vocals (backing) (1992-present)
See also: Annihilator, Nader Sadek, ex-Necrosis, ex-Digital Doomzday, ex-Temple of Thieves
Jon Levasseur: Guitars (1993-2005, 2011-present)
See also: ex-Ablation
Christian Donaldson: Guitars (2005-present)
See also: Mythosis
Matt McGachy: Vocals (2007-present)
See also: 3 Mile Scream, The Catalyst, ex-The Era Of
Olivier Pinard: Bass (2012-present)
See also: Neuraxis, Vengeful, Under the Grave (live)
THE INTERVIEW
If you could, describe the process in making this album. What was the toughest part? Do you feel that you have some pretty big shoes to fill in the wake of the backlash of the last release?
This was one of the easiest albums for me to record. When Jon came back to the band he already had a bunch of ideas that quickly shaped into songs once he started jamming with Flo. The rest of the album was written as a group and those went flawlessly as well. As for the lyrics, they basically wrote themselves once the concept for the album was decided.
The toughest part of the recording this time around would have to be the final mix;we wanted it to be perfect. By the end our guitarist Chris who recorded and mixed the album was patient enough to put up with all of our last minute mix changes.
We didn't feel that we had big shoes to fill concerning TUK, we just got together and wrote some new Cryptopsy songs.
I tried to ask metal fans what they wanted to ask you in this interview, but I kept getting so much negativity and hatred from most of them. The only question that they want asked is, "Why did you make that metalcore album?" and that's putting it bluntly.
We wanted to try something different, having such a wide array of musical influences motivated us to implement the clean vocals into Cryptopsy. We don't see TUK as a metalcore album, we see it as an experiment.
How do you guys feel about all this negativity? Were you actually expecting people to get angry about that last album?
We were expecting some negativity, but not what we received. The Death threats were a bit much...
Being one of the fathers of technical death metal, how do you see the scene today? What bands do you think are on the cutting edge of the genre?
Psycroptic and Origin are great examples of where the teach death scene is at right now!
What do you think of independent music release sites like bandcamp and others, where a user may "name their own price" for a musical recording?
I think it's sad that we live in a world in which artists take over 6 months to write and record an album which takes their fans only five minutes to download illegally. So I believe that the more band friendly platforms there are the better. We happened to choose bandcamp because it was easy and user friendly.With labels falling apart and after what Radiohead did a few years ago, it all just sort of made sense to us.
This is a question for the new vocalist. You're in the shoes of a legend, the almighty Lord Worm. How do you feel about being in such a high position of death metal, and do you feel that you've done justice to his legacy on this latest disc?
Filling Lord Worm’s shoes was difficult! But I was honored that the band believed in me and that kept me motivated during the recording of TUK. This time around I was much more prepared and aware of what kind of vocals Cryptopsy needed. I discovered that fours years of negative feedback can prove to be an excellent source of motivation as well! I am very satisfied with my vocals on CRYPTOPSY; I adopted a new approach of pushing less vocally and the results exceeded all of my expectations.
The new album is back to the roots of the band for the most part, and from youtube there have been several who've either loved and embraced it, or hated it because it wasn't Lord Worm. How does this make you feel as a band?
There will always be people who are disappointed because Worm is no longer in the band. But people must remember that they were also disappointed during the WS and ATYB era as well.
I believe that the main reason so many people miss him is because many people discovered Cryptopsy with Worm on vocals and they partially fell in love with the band thanks to his demented stage antics, bestial guttural vocals and his psychotic lyrics. Got to admit that is a hard thing to replace!
We are very used to people wanting him back that will never change so we don't let it bother us.
Did you guys think that you had to revert back to your old style for fear that the backlash would've been even worse?
We didn't feel like we had to go back to our roots, it just so happens that the missing ingredient on TUK returned to the band. Jon's understanding of how Cryptopsy is meant to sound is irreplaceable and uncompromising. The songs that were written for this new album are just the songs we happen to write once we all came together.
Now onto a slightly less controversial question. Who came up with the band's name, and what does it mean? What statement do you want to make with the band in 2012-2013?
I sadly don't know where the name came from since I wasn't in the band back in 91.
We would like to tour and share the new Cryptopsy with the world!
What do you guys do when you're not playing metal? Any interesting films, movies are games that you could recommend?
Great movies we love to watch;
Any Tarantino
Machete
Books
We need to talk about Kevin
Anything by Danielewski
Anything by Palahniuk
Vonnegut
Games
Dead space
Red Dead Redemption
If an apocalyptic scenario occurred; like a solar flare that knocked out all of the planet's electricity for months, for example - what would you do?
Head out into the woods with my acoustic and survive!
Finally, If you had a choice in deciding an apocalypse that would befall all of mankind, (but you had to choose at least something, no matter how ridiculous) what would you choose?
A flood to wash them all away!
"Learn to swim, learn to swim, learn to swim" as Maynard would say.
Thanks gentlemen, for the honest truth. I hesitated in doing this interview, but I knew that I had to get it out, so that the fans could see with their own eyes what you guys think of all the negative feedback for your past release.
Thanks!
- Matt McGachy
Cryptopsy
THE REVIEW
Cryptopsy - Cryptopsy (PR2012) - Well, there's really no use in bringing up Cryptopsy's past efforts. The Unspoken King, is just that - a king of bad ideas that is better left unspoken. However, this new self-titled disc sees the band coming back to form, albeit in a very safe way. The brutality and the technicality are there, and the band's new frontman does the best he can to match of with the band's signature sound. Sometimes that hits, and other times it misses.
Some melodies are brought in on the riff department, and some great solos do appear on this album. You're going to hear some definite prog and technicality, as this is still a very technical album, and so far most of the metal scene has come to embrace it. Opener "Two-Pound Torch 5:13" does have some very interesting riffs in places, and showcases some well needed unconventionality. But no matter how much people can diss these guys, I still hear portions of these songs that do remind me of the old Cryptopsy. There are some unique ideas on the disc, such as the fact that some of the songs on here open with something like a few acoustic riffs, or something Egyptian, "Shag Harbour's Visitors 4:29"; while another "Damned Draft Dodgers 4:05" features an odd lounge portion, right in the middle of the song.
The drumming is a strong part of this album, as Flo shows that he can still keep the band afloat with his skills. The disc literally pounds from beginning to end, coming off incessantly brutal, but definitely showcasing the same amount of technicality that we should expect from the band. There are many solos on this disc, even more than one in some of the songs, like "Red-Skinned Scapegoat 6:08" for example.
You've got your jazzy bits here and there, especially on "The Golden Square Mile 3:19" where they begin the song. Say what you want about this album, the prog and technicality on this are outmatched by a scant few. Yes, there might be some core portions on this disc, and maybe the vocals sound a little more deathcore than death metal, but give these guys a fucking break. They are trying to do what they do best, and whatever you think of that interview at the top, just know that this is a return to form for the band in as much a way possible as they can currently deliver. It's called making the best with what you have, and if it works, don't fix it.
No, it's not the best album Cryptopsy have ever put out. At first listen, I thought that most of the songs sounded too similar, sans a few bells and whistles.
But is it still a technical death metal album with plenty of prog influence? Yes.
Has the core and technicality overshadowed the amount of overall "death metal elements" on the disc? Absolutely.
There is certainly room for improvement. It's very brutal, but lacks some of the sinister atmospheres that Lord Worm created. Perhaps if the new guy had a bit more grit and gravel in his vocal chords...
It's certainly missing something, but it's not terrible by any means. I'm sure that there are people who will love it, and people who will hate it. But that's with all things. At least it won't get as much of a backlash as the previous album did. For that, the band can be thankful.
If you're still on the fence, go listen to some songs before you decide to buy it. You can read all the reviews in the world, but more often than not; the music always speaks much louder than I can. Decibel magazine gave it a 7, and at first listen I was going to give it a 6. But after this second listen, I'll have to go with Decibel. Not a solid release, but an inkling away from it. By the way, this is only 35 minutes of death metal, so I really would've liked to have had twenty more minutes with a little more variety than just a bravado of technicality.
Before you start bitching because I gave this a 7, and not 4 or 3 or whatever you felt this deserved...
The Grim Tower List of How Cryptopsy's New Album Could Have Been Worse:
1. It could've been another metalcore album
2. It could have featured female vocals
3. It could have been completely done in clean vocal
4. They could've gotten Bieber fever and done a pop/metal record
5. It could've been a nu-metal album
6. It could've incorporated dubstep
7. It could've been acoustic death metal
8. They could've done a hair metal album
9. It could've been a country album (Jeff Walker for example)
10. It could've been a hip-hop record
Since none of these things were done on this album, I'd have to consider it a definite return to form.
Highlights: Two-Pound Torch, Red-Skinned Scapegoat, The Golden Square Mile (8 Tracks, 35:00)
7/10
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