Canadian death/thrash metal band Necrosis was formed in April 1988[5] by drummer Mike Atkin, guitarist Steve Thibault and vocalist Dan "Lord Worm" Greening, initially under the name Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. John Todds later joined on bass. The band released several demos, including Mastication and Heterodontism (1989), Realms of Pathogenia (1991) and Necrosis (1992). Atkin left the band and was replaced by Flo Mounier, at which time the band rebranded under the name Cryptopsy, where the members collectively wanted to play even heavier material. Todds left shortly thereafter, retiring from music to focus on his family; he was replaced by Kevin Weagle; Dave Galea also joined the band.
Ungentle Exhumation and Blasphemy Made Flesh (1993–1995)
In 1993, Cryptopsy released their debut demo, Ungentle Exhumation. This demo caught the attention of local label Gore Records, which re-released the demo and, for a brief period, managed the band. The demo garnered attention in the Canadian death metalunderground, as well as from the German label Invasion Records.
By 1994, bassist Kevin Weagle had been replaced by Martin Fergusson, and Dave Galea was replaced by lead guitarist Jon Levasseur. This line-up recorded their debut album, Blasphemy Made Flesh, which at first was independently released and later licensed to Germany's Invasion Records. The album gained them a wide following in the Canadian underground.
Due to the dissolution of Invasion Records, Cryptopsy was left without a label to support their tour, but the album would be picked up by Dutch label Displeased Records. After successfully touring in support of Blasphemy Made Flesh, Steve Thibault left the band. Bassist Martin Fergusson was replaced by Eric Langlois. The addition of Langlois incorporated funk-style bass slaps into the Cryptopsy sound.
None So Vile (1996–1997)
In 1996, the line-up of Worm, Mounier, Levasseur, and Langlois released the album None So Vile on the Swedish label Wrong Again Records. By this time, Levasseur was a very prominent songwriter in the band. His guitar leads consisted of very fast yet complex shreds, which were usually played in short bursts. Although Levasseur handled all the guitar parts on the album, the band would add Miguel Roy as a second touring guitarist.
In 1997, after the tour in support of None So Vile, Lord Worm left the band, citing health issues.[6] The band hired the Boston native Mike DiSalvo, vocalist of death metal band Infestation, (with the personal approval of Lord Worm).[5] In July 1997, Cryptopsy's appearance at the Milwaukee Metalfest XI gained the attention of many American metalheads,[7] as well as that of the label Century Media.
Whisper Supremacy (1998–1999)
Cryptopsy's next album, Whisper Supremacy, was released on Century Media in 1998, and featured Miguel Roy on second guitar. It took Cryptopsy's style further, incorporating some jazz and fusion elements. Some fans[who?] criticized the vocals of Mike DiSalvo, stating his style was too resminiscent of hardcore rather than the typical extreme metal vocalizations of Lord Worm. The tour in support of Whisper Supremacy took the band on their first tour through the United States, increasing their fan-base.
…And Then You'll Beg (2000–2002)
Cryptopsy released their fourth studio effort, …And Then You'll Beg, in 2000. The album featured a new guitarist, Alex Auburn, who replaced Miguel Roy. And Then You'll Beg was considered not-as-heavy as Cryptopsy's previous albums, but embraced further experimentations when compared to previous releases. After the first portion of the supporting tour, Mike DiSalvo departed the band. Martin LaCroix took over the position as singer for the European and Japanese tours. His style was viewed as being in between the styles of Lord Worm and Mike DiSalvo.
None So Live (2002–2004)
In June 2001, Cryptopsy played their first concert in their hometown of Montreal in four years and attracted an audience of more than 2,000. The concert was recorded and, in 2003, released as a live album, None So Live. This release was LaCroix's only contribution to Cryptopsy's discography; he was not fluent enough in English to write lyrics on the same level as his predecessors.
Lord Worm rejoined the band and through summer 2004, Cryptopsy played shows in the Montreal area, and began a full Canadian tour in September, with former guitarist Miguel Roy filling in for the unavailable Jon Levasseur. In October, Martyr and former Gorguts guitarist Dan Mongrain took over second guitar duties for the live dates. The setlist for this tour began with the entire None So Vile album, followed by songs from Blasphemy Made Flesh and Whisper Supremacy. The Canada 2004 tour ended at Cryptopsy's performance on November 6 at the Trois-RivieresMetalfest IV, which was filmed for a live DVD. The DVD Live at Trois-Rivieres Metalfest IV was released independently in 2005. The band sold the DVD at gigs.
Once Was Not (2005–2006)
On January 31, 2005, Jon Levasseur announced that he had lost interest in extreme music and amicably departed Cryptopsy. Dan Mongrain remained on guitar duties for the Back to the Worms tour through the United States from February to May. After the tour's completion Mongrain also departed in order to continue his work with Martyr. It was then announced that Cryptopsy's next album, Once Was Not, would be released on October 18, 2005. The album features original vocalist Lord Worm, Flo Mounier, Eric Langlois, and Alex Auburn handling all guitar duties except the intro track "Luminum". On September 28 it was announced that the new touring guitarist would be Christian Donaldson of Mythosis. The album also showed a heightened experimentation in the band's songwriting, introducing some slight elements of avant-garde, mathcore and others. The band toured North America with Suffocation, Despised Icon, and Aborted. After a break, and the release of Flo Mounier's instructional drumming DVD Extreme Metal Drumming 101, the band toured Europe with Grave, Aborted, Dew-Scented, and others, then toured America and Australia. Following their second tour of Europe, UK, and Scandinavia, guitarist Christian Donaldson became a permanent member of the band.
The Unspoken King (2007–2011)
Once Was Not (2005) is original vocalist Lord Worm's final album with the band. He departed shortly before The Unspoken King (2008) was conceptualized.
In 2007 Cryptopsy had announced plans for their sixth studio album, however after this announcement Lord Worm stated that he left the group earlier than planned for health reasons, which contradicted the band's statement that he was kicked out. Lord Worm also stated that there were creative differences with the other band members over the direction the band would eventually take on their subsequent studio outing.[8] On April 23, 2007, Cryptopsy announced that they were looking for a new vocalist.[9]
The new album was originally to be called The Book of Suffering, and was to be a double album,[10] this plan ended up being canceled, but the band would eventually pursue this concept several years later by releasing two EP's titled The Book of Suffering (subtitled as Tome I and Tome II in 2015 and 2018 respectively).
On December 4, 2007, Cryptopsy revealed the addition of vocalist Matt McGachy, of fellow Montreal heavy metal band 3 Mile Scream; and a new keyboard player, Maggy Durand. The band released a new studio album, The Unspoken King, on June 24, 2008. This album saw the inclusion of previously-unheard elements such as breakdowns and melodic riffs. The album has been widely regarded as being a deathcore release instead of the band's usual technical death metal style, and as such was met with mostly negative reception by fans[11][12] but mixed reception by critics.
In early February 2009, guitarist Alex Auburn announced his departure from the band, saying that there were numerous reasons for his leaving, and that he and the rest of the band agreed with the departure.
Self-titled album and The Book of Suffering EPs (2011–2022)
On May 25, 2011, the band announced on their Facebook page that former lead guitarist and major contributor Jon Levasseur had returned to the band. Additionally, bassist Eric Langlois decided to take a break from Cryptopsy, and Youri Raymond took his place on bass. On December 9, 2011, Raymond announced his departure from the band.[13] On January 15, 2012, Cryptopsy announced that Olivier Pinard, from Neuraxis and Vengeful, would be the new bassist.[14]
On September 14, 2012, Cryptopsy released Cryptopsy, which turned away from the experimentation witnessed on The Unspoken King, in favour of a more technical death metal sound.
On May 8, 2015, it was announced that Cryptopsy would release The Book of Suffering - Tome I in mid-2015, the first in a series of EPs. An Indiegogo campaign was launched the same day. Regarding the recording process, it was stated that Jason Suecof would handle mixing duties, while Alan Douches would handle the mastering process.
On August 31, 2018, the band announced the second part of The Book of Suffering on their Facebook page. Pre-sales of the EP began on September 7 along with a music video of their new song "Sire of Sin", which was to appear on Tome II. The EP was released on October 26.
As Gomorrah Burns (2023–present)
On May 8, 2023, Cryptopsy announced that they signed with Nuclear Blast Records and revealed the art and details of their eighth album entitled As Gomorrah Burns, the band's first full-length in 11 years.[15] It was released on September 8, 2023. The album was the album of the month on Metallian.com. The band began touring in support of the album upon its release.[16] In 2023 Cryptopsy officially became the first metal band in the western hemisphere to perform in Saudi Arabia.[17]
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American melodic death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. Currently, the band consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and guitarists Brandon Ellis and Ryan Knight. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Trevor Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former's death in 2022, which then saw Eschbach take over lead vocals and Knight replacing him on rhythm guitar.
God Dethroned is a Dutch extreme metal band from Beilen, originally formed in 1990.
Gorguts is a Canadian death metal band formed near Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1989. The band has gone through various membership changes since its inception; its only constant member has been guitarist-vocalist and co-founding member Luc Lemay, who remains the driving force of the band. To date, they have released five full-length albums and one EP. Their most recent release, Pleiades' Dust, was released on May 13, 2016. Their latest full-length album, Colored Sands was released in 2013 and was nominated for a Juno Award. Musically the band is known for its complex, musically dense form of technical death metal, and has become "one of the most advanced, experimental, and challenging groups in the entire genre."
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their reputation as one of Sweden's foremost death metal bands. Grave went on hiatus in 1997, but got back together two years later. Since then, they have released seven more albums, making a total of eleven studio albums. Along with Dismember, Entombed and Unleashed, Grave is considered one of the "big four" of Swedish death metal.
Power Quest were an English power metal band from Southampton. Prior to the band's retirement in 2023, the line-up consisted of keyboardist Steve Williams, drummer Rich Smith, vocalist Ashley Edison, guitarists Glyn Williams and George "The Kid" Karafotis, and bassist Bradley Edison.
Xandria is a German symphonic metal band founded by Marco Heubaum in 1994. Originally a project, Heubaum later restarted the project as a band in 1999, and has gone through various lineup changes. The German vocalist Lisa Middelhauve joined for the debut album, co-writing both music and lyrics for the band until her departure in 2008. Middelhauve reunited briefly with the band in 2010 following the departure of the band's second vocalist Kerstin Bischof, but left again shortly after. Manuela Kraller joined the band as the new vocalist in 2010.
Visceral Bleeding is a death metal band from Sweden.
Blasphemy Made Flesh is the debut album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy. The album was released in 1994, re-released in 1997 by Displeased Records, and also re-released in 2001 by Century Media with a different cover. It is the only album to feature bassist Martin Fergusson.
None So Vile is the second studio album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy, released on 3 July 1996 by Wrong Again Records. The album was later reissued by Displeased Records and Century Media Records. It was re-released on vinyl in 2012 by War on Music.
Whisper Supremacy is the third studio album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy. It is the first album to feature vocalist Mike DiSalvo and the only album to feature guitarist Miguel Roy.
And Then You'll Beg is the fourth studio album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy. It is the first album with guitarist Alex Auburn, and the last album with vocalist Mike DiSalvo and guitarist Jon Levasseur, until Levasseur returned in 2011. "Back to the Worms" was the only track from Ungentle Exhumation that was not re-recorded for the debut album Blasphemy Made Flesh. The album starts with a sample from the movie The Matrix.
None So Live is a live album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy. It was recorded June 1, 2002 at The Medley in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was released after Mike DiSalvo left the band; it is the only release to feature Martin Lacroix on vocals. After his leaving, Lacroix would become an illustrator and tattooist, he would even create the album cover for the proceeding Cryptopsy full length Once Was Not, which was released in 2005.
Once Was Not is the fifth album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy.
Horna is a Finnish black metal band formed in 1994. The band has appeared on over thirty releases including splits, demos, EPs and albums since 1995, which have been released through numerous record labels. The name "Horna" is Finnish for "abyss" or "hell". It was chosen because, to Shatraug, it sounded harsh and powerful.
Tim Ian Grose, known professionally as Lord Tim, is an Australian musician. Based in Wollongong, New South Wales, he is best known as the founder of the power metal band Dungeon. The band started in 1989, released several albums, and was considered one of the leading metal bands in Australia. When the band broke up in 2005 after an international tour with Megadeth, Lord Tim continued its legacy with another band he had created, LORD, for which he is singer, guitarist and principal songwriter.
Ungentle Exhumation is a demo tape by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy. The demo was released in 1993 and is the band's first ever release. It was re-released in 2002 as an MCD.
Diabolic is an American death metal band from Tampa Bay, Florida, United States, founded in 1996 by bassist/vocalist Paul Ouellette, drummer Aantar Lee Coates and guitarist Brian Malone.
Devourment is an American death metal band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1995, the band has split up and reformed three times leaving Brad Fincher as the only original member. The current lineup is Ruben Rosas, Chris Andrews, Dave Spencer and Brad Fincher. The band is currently signed to Relapse Records, and was previously signed to Brutal Bands, United Guttural and Corpse Gristle Records. Devourment has also had albums re-released by other labels.
The Unspoken King is the sixth studio album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy. The album was released on May 26, 2008 in Europe, and June 24, 2008 in the US by Century Media Records. It was the last album to feature guitarist Alex Auburn and bassist Eric Langlois. Keyboardist Maggie Durand was also removed from the band shortly after completion.
Cryptopsy is the seventh studio album by Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy. It was released on September 14, 2012. The album marks a return to the band's original technical death metal style, following the pivot to deathcore on their previous album, The Unspoken King (2008).
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