CRYPT CRAWLER Interview Ahead of OBITUARY Support
We recently sat down with Perth death metal upcomers CRYPT CRAWLER ahead of their support slot with US death metal legends, OBITUARY and Victoria’s BLACK LAVA at Magnet House.
Are you excited about the opportunity to support US Death Metal heavyweights Obituary at their upcoming Perth show and how do you feel this experience will contribute to the band's journey?
We are incredibly excited and grateful to be supporting Obituary, a band we have looked up to since day 1 of Crypt Crawler and have been a major influence on our sound. Our guitarist, Dan, also happened to be listening to them at the exact moment we were asked. This opportunity is not something we will be taking for granted either and will be truly reveling in the moment of the experience, extracting as much from it as possible to help steer the future of our band.
How does the band approach crafting a setlist when supporting a renowned act like 'Obituary'?
Whilst we have established a loyal following in the Perth metal scene, we know we’ll be playing to fans who may not have heard too much of the local scene. So we’ll be curating what we believe to be a greatest hits set, comprised of songs from our full discography, including two new songs that we have tested prior to some great crowd responses.
How do you see the death metal genre evolving and in what ways does your band contribute to this evolution?
There has definitely been a resurgence of the old school death metal sound of the 90s in recent times, which we are certainly no exception to. One thing that I believe separates us from a lot of these bands is that we’ve tried to focus more on hooks and melody, without necessarily stepping into full melodic death metal territory. We are also very influenced by 70s and 80s heavy metal bands and will continue to seep this influence further and further into our songwriting.
Are there specific artists or bands, within or outside the death metal genre, that you would love to collaborate with?
We actually have a guest solo from a legend of the death metal genre on our upcoming album, which we can’t wait to share. In future though, I know personally I would absolutely love to have guest vocals by Sven de Caluwé (Aborted), who is one of my all time favourite vocalists. A guest riff by James Hetfield would also be an absolute dream come true for myself!
Considering the strong ties of death metal to the DIY ethos, how has this influenced the band's journey, from recording and producing to booking shows and managing your own brand?
Crypt Crawler has remained independent and DIY thus far and we’ve kept the vast majority of our band’s workings in-house. Everything from our branding, band management and, up until our last record, all of our music had been recorded, mixed and mastered by ourselves. We have also had collaborations with two Australian labels, Bitter Loss Records and Grindhead Records, who have issued our major releases on vinyl and cassette, respectively, with all releases having been independently released prior. Going forward remains to be seen, however as we have spent the active years of Crypt Crawler independent and DIY, we at least know we have the means to continue this if we choose.
Who are some of the most exciting bands in the death metal genre right now?
Some of the most exciting bands to me right now are Blood Incantation, Undeath, Gatecreeper, 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul and Vitriol. There are plenty more I could name, but these ones I seem to keep going back to.
Looking ahead, what can fans expect in the future for Crypt Crawler, whether it's new music, tours or other creative endeavours?
We have our new album which has been completed and now we’re currently in the planning stages of how we’ll go about releasing the record. Fingers crossed it will be out this year, however we don’t want to rush it and want to ensure that it receives the proper release it deserves. So stay tuned…
OBITUARY with BLACK LAVA and CRYPT CRAWLER performing at:
Jan 19th – Perth, Magnet House
TICKETS ON SALE NOW at:
PERTH – www.oztix.com.au