Flo Mounier Christian Donaldson Matt McGachy Olivier Pinard
Past members
Mike Atkin John Todds Steve Thibault Lord Worm Dave Galea Kevin Weagle Jon Levasseur Martin Fergusson Miguel Roy Eric Langlois Mike DiSalvo Alex Auburn Martin Lacroix Daniel Mongrain Maggy Durand Youri Raymond Dominic Grimard
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By 1994, bassist Kevin Weagle had been replaced by Martin Fergusson, and Dave Galea was replaced by lead guitarist Jon Levasseur.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 performed a show Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the performance was the first time a metal band from the western hemisphere had ever performed in the country.[17]
Style
Categorized as both technical death metal and brutal death metal, Cryptopsy's music is described as having an "oppressive atmosphere" and a "grimier" approach to technical songwriting.[18] Daniel Gioffre of AllMusic describes the band's style of death metal as having "sacrificed" melody, harmony, rhythmic clarity and song structure in pursuit of "one overriding goal [...] extreme brutality."[19] James Christopher Monger of AllMusic made note of Cryptopsy's "uncompromising sonic attack" and "technical acuity".[20] The band's music is characterized by "about-to-fall-off-the-edge playing." Cryptopsy drummer Flo Mounier has been called "one of the fastest drummers to play death metal," and is known for his "eccentric" accents with his cymbal work.[21]
Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates - regarded as the Gothenburg fathers in the film entitled Out of Nothing: A DT Documentary released by Century Media, which was filmed in their home town in April 2009. After a nearly three-decade long collaboration of four founding members frequent lineup changes between 2016 and 2021 have left only vocalist Mikael Stanne as an original member, together with long-time keyboardist Martin Brändström.
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.
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1988 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.
Blasphemy Made Flesh is the debut album by Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy, released on November 25, 1994 through Invasion Records. re-released in 1997 by Displeased Records, and also re-released in 2001 by Century Media with a different cover. The album was recorded at Piranha Studio in Montreal. 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 following 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.
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.
Misery was an Australian death metal band from Brisbane, Queensland. Since forming in 1991, the band has released four albums and an EP, and are one of the earliest formed bands in their genre from their country. The band split in 2005, but has reformed four times for an East Coast Australian tour in support of final album in 2009, to support Taake on an Australian tour in 2017, for the 30th Anniversary of their debut album and play The New Dead Festival in Adelaide 15th April 2023.
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.
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.
Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in 1995 in Waregem. The group currently consists of vocalist, founder and only constant member Sven de Caluwé, guitarist Ian Jekelis, guitarist Dan Konráðsson and drummer Ken Bedene. Although the band originally had an entire lineup of members living in Belgium, Aborted's current lineup now features members from Belgium, The Netherlands, Iceland and the United States. The band has released twelve studio albums, six EPs and one live DVD.
Deeds of Flesh is an American brutal death metal band from Los Osos, California, U.S. They were formed in 1993 by Jacoby Kingston, Erik Lindmark (1972–2018) and Joey Heaslet. They founded their own label, Unique Leader Records, which has since become home to a number of other death metal bands from around the world. Deeds of Flesh have released nine studio albums, their most recent being Nucleus which was released in 2020.
Blackguard is a Canadian melodic death metal band from Montréal, Québec, previously known as Profugus Mortis.
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).
Ingested is an English death metal/deathcore band from Manchester, formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Josh Davies, guitarist Sean Hynes and drummer Lyn Jeffs. The band has released seven studio albums since formation, with the latest being “The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams” in 2024 via Metal Blade Records.
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