Interview by Kris Peters
The Australian music scene was undeniably strong in the 1990s, with bands like Blood Duster, Dreamkillers, Armoured Angel and Damaged just to name a few carving a name for themselves in that era.
It was a time before the internet, where bands had to promote themselves in a vastly different way, pasting posters onto telegraph poles and spruiking their upcoming shows at other gigs in order to get their music heard. There was no easy way. It was pure persistence and willpower just getting your name out there.
One of the bands to emerge from Brisbane in the early 90s was Crypt, an old-school death metal act who refused to take no for an answer.
Quickly making themselves heard with their 1994 demo cassette Excruciating Agony, Crypt set about sonically dismantling all before them, with their 1998 album El Nino irrefutably painting their name onto a sonic landscape that may never be rivalled.
Then Crypt disbanded, and, despite a couple of East Coast tours in 2016 and 2017, remained in limbo seemingly never to return.
Well, return they have for Necrosonic Festival at Brisbane's Mansfield Tavern on August 31, with guitarist Nathan joining HEAVY to discuss the past, present and future of Crypt.
We discussed Necrosonic Festival, where Crypt is set to perform their last show. Nathan reminisced about the thriving metal scene in Brisbane during the 90s, highlighting the camaraderie and social vibe among bands, plus provided insights into the upcoming 30th anniversary celebration of the demo cassette Excruciating Agony at Necrosonic by discussing plans to play the demo in full.
He also shared details about the recording of a new song called Chilling Madness and the band's nostalgic collaboration with the original demo artwork artist for the new song's artwork. We also discussed their sound and where it came from, and dived deep into Crypt's past and more.
Necrosonic Festival features Psycroptic, Lo!, Misery, Astrodeath, Crypt, Bulletbelt, Potion, Bloody Tyrant and more. Tickets from https://necrosonicfestival.com/