The Crypt, an ever-evolving force in metal, merges relentless creativity with diverse influences. From global collaborations to genre-defying experiments, their journey showcases boundless innovation and a fearless artistic vision.
1. The
Crypt was born from the remnants of Cryptic. What motivated you to carry on
after Cryptic's dissolution, and how did those early experiences shape The
Crypt's evolution?
I'm from a
very small town in an isolated area of Wisconsin, so there really aren't many
(sometimes any) metalheads, let alone metal musicians around. I wanted to keep making music because it's as
natural as breathing to me, and the only way to do it was on my own. In the early days it was just me with a drum
machine and a 4 track Tascam tape deck.
We had some gigs as Cryptic, but they were always disasters, so as the
Crypt live shows have never been a consideration. The best part about the early experiences was
tape trading and meeting people from all around the world.
2. Your
discography is incredibly diverse, spanning death metal, thrash, progressive,
acoustic, and even electronic influences. How do you approach such drastic
shifts in style while maintaining The Crypt’s identity?
Usually, I
come across some new style of music and really like it, then get to thinking
how I could combine that with something I normally do (ie: metal). I'll usually put together a general plan
about how to create such and album, then simply do it after studying whatever
genre I want to approach (usually a lot of listening and reading about its
origins). From there I'll draw up some
basic guidelines for the album. For
Odal, for example, it was no blast beats and no harsh vocals.
3. Враг and Враг EP blended death/thrash metal with
atmospheric and melodic elements. What was the creative process like during
this period, and how did the collaboration with Mike Browning on Враг come about?
I've known
Mike since about 2003, when I interviewed him for an Iranian metal magazine—we
have many of the same interests, and he actually really helped me become more
serious about music and the academic side of mysticism. And Morbid Angel and Nocturnus are HUGE
influences on me, so having him on my music is a dream come true!
4. Odal
marked a departure from your earlier works, drawing on classic metal influences
and introducing a host of guest vocalists. What inspired this shift, and how
did fans react to this unexpected turn?
At the time
I had just moved from six years in Russia back to my homeland, so it was very
inspired by that...and listening to a lot of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest,
Sortilege, Mercyful Fate, and Pagan Altar.
Odal is a rune that has strong connections with the idea of a “home,” so
it felt like the right thing to do. I
was really expecting people to get pissed about this shift, so when it started
to get some really good reviews, I was absolutely shocked! I was also playing in the Russian black metal
band, Tides of Leviathan, so I sent some of my really heavy stuff that way for
their debut album Wrath of Tiamat (check that one out—Tides of Leviathan
are a great fucking band!).
5. Albums
like Выкадиш, Omissão Submissão Remissão, and Embers of Limerance
demonstrate your willingness to push boundaries. What drives you to experiment
with genres like hip-hop beats and acoustic arrangements?
I like a
lot of different music, and the underground music scene in my homeland is quite
small—whenever there are metal shows, usually they share the venue with hip-hop
groups, sometimes members too. One of
the guys in the local hip hop scene used to sing in two metal bands (Dichotic
and V.A.D.--check out Dichotic's awesome album The Deepest Rise!), so I
asked him to do some beats for me...that kind of became Выкадиш. As fro the acoustic stuff, there's
always been acoustic music in metal—my favourite song of all time is “Planet
Caravan” by Black Sabbath, and I love Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains. I just thought, “hey, I'll just do an entire
acoustic album!”
6. Many
of your recent works, like Рудий Лiс and the split release Subverting
the Golgotha, feature songs in various languages. How important is cultural
diversity to your music, and what challenges do you face incorporating these
elements?
It's very
important! I'm obsessed with
linguistics, and often study languages for fun (a hobby almost as old as my
love of metal). Plus, if you listen to
some folk music, like something from the Maghreb or Iran, there are certain
minor key elements or tremolo picking that are shared with metal...it's kind of
silly not to incorporate something new in and make the music different. Being the 1000037th Morbid Angel
clone would not be that fulfilling to me...
For doing
anything in French or Russian is no problem—I speak both of those languages,
but anything outside of that gets complicated and requires an outside
source. Luckily, for Рудий Лiс and the two songs on Subverting the
Golgotha, I had met some folks from the bands Divided (Belarus), Bál (Hungary), and Pustos (Serbia), who were
willing to collaborate. Others I have to
hire, but with internet it's not a big problem...although some of my music is
really complicated, so having them
7. You’ve
worked with artists from around the world, including BAL and Pustos. How do
these collaborations come to life, and how have they enriched your music?
I actually
found Bál on Fiverr—and it's been one of my best
discoveries! I love his music, and we
featured his track “Fekete víz “ on Subverting the Golgotha. For Pustos, it was through Vladimir Cokorilo,
who writes for Metalbite, who suggested Pustos.
Vladimir had written a nice review of our album Истребитель, and I just happened to be looking for Serbian
lyrics at that time. Usually it's
through acquaintances from my travels and tape trading days, but other
times—Fiverr!
8. Истребитель and the re-recorded Victory
through Chaos signal a return to a more aggressive, metal-focused sound.
What inspired this return to your roots, and how do these releases connect to
your earliest days?
I figured
it was time to return to some of the crazy, purely heavy stuff after doing
several light albums in a row—I was so pissed!
There were so many things to be angry about from 2021 to 2023 that it
came out so easily. Victory Through
Chaos, seems to me to be the first real Crypt album, even though I have
some stuff from 1998-2003 that's a bit simpler and sounds more like
Cryptic. I remember writing Victory
through Chaos and being serious about what I was writing, and it really
felt like I was merely a conduit for something much greater (a feeling I get
working on any of my Crypt stuff nowadays).
Life got in the way, though, and I moved to Russia, got married, got
divorced, traveled a shitton, blah, blah, blah, but with Истребитель done, I just called up Thamnos and Ian (who did
the guitars and drums on Истребитель) and finally got Victory Through
Chaos out.
9. From
mysticism and Viking-inspired tales to ambient and progressive storytelling,
your lyrical themes are vast. What inspires the concepts behind your albums,
and how do you ensure they resonate with listeners?
I usually get inspired by what's occurring around me—my homeland is actually a very beautiful place, with incredible nature, so that fills me with a sense of awe and wonder. From my extensive travels I was exposed to lots of wonderful things, some really ugly things, too, so that all comes out. Sometimes it's a book that I read (George Orwell, Cormac McCarthy, and Kenneth Grant feature into a lot of my lyrics), or if it's anger, it can range from existential rage to just dealing with some old fart driving too slow!
There are
two really unique record stores in my region, Rusty Dusty and Within Things,
and they sell all these crazy foreign albums (as well as lots of amazing normal
albums). I've always been a fan of
diffferent cultures, but also different sounds—Orphaned Land and Litham
(especially the 2002 promo, such a masterpiece!) were HUGE influences on this,
and those are two cherished contacts from my tape trading days, but there are
just so many great bands from disparate places that I enjoy that their
influence began seeping into my music.
Noura Mint Seymali, Odious, Nawather, Akvan, Lucidvox...I could go on
forever!
Another
aspect was all the languages...I just chose a few that fascinate me, and went
from there. But it will be sung entirely
by women...another crazy twist.
11. Your
willingness to experiment has undoubtedly divided opinions over the years. How
do you navigate fan expectations while staying true to your artistic vision?
I just
don't care! We don't have a lot of fans,
but those that we do have are used to the craziness by now. Usually it's someone who finds an “acessible”
album like Odal or Embers of Limerance, stumbles across
Victory through Chaos and says “your new album is so...HOSTILE! Make another Embers!” The best way to deal with that is I tell them
“oh, just wait until the next album, or the album after the next one,” because
we'll usually do something totally different by then.
12. With
such a prolific and varied career, what’s next for The Crypt? Are there any new
directions or ideas you’re eager to explore?
Of course! Our next release with be some noise/improv thing to bridge the gap between Lux Libera Me and this super ambitious classically inspired, instrumental album about the Great Lakes. Then it will probably be time for more heavy stuff! There are also two post Cryptic albums from 1999 and 2001, as well as an EP from 2000 I'd like to do, so there is no shortage of ideas.
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