The Lair of Filth is proud to bring you another exclusive interview with another new band to our underground - the U.K.'s Cryptworm.
In April the band released their self-titled debut demo via Goatprayer Records and recently announced their debut live date, supporting Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice in London. On top of this they recently made a trip to the studio where recording took place for a new EP to be released later this year via Me Saco Un Ujo Records, so we had plenty to talk about.
Read on for an insight into Cryptworm, in their first interview since leaving the studio, along with track streams from their debut release.
Interview by Trevor Proctor.
Hi, I hope all’s well with Cryptworm, cheers for agreeing to an interview with The Lair of Filth, the opportunity to find out a little more regarding your band is greatly appreciated, as is the time taken to answer these questions. For those reading who may not be familiar with the band could you please give us a little background information?
Joe – We started back in 2014. It was very slow progress in the beginning due to our busy personal lives clashing (we would go months without rehearsing) but finally in 2016 we had a few songs we were really happy with and recorded our first demo, which has actually been pretty well received. Nowadays we're rehearsing a lot more frequently and have a lot planned for the future.
How did the band members meet and what led to your decision to form a band?
Joe – Back in mid 2014 a friend in Hungary told me that Tibor was moving to Bristol later that year and would be looking to form a band when he's here. I was interested so we started talking online and had several things in common so we were happy to work together.
Not long after he moved here, we started to jam. Again, it took a while before things started to get interesting. We spent a lot of time writing and re-writing songs and scrapping material altogether. But that's fine, we were never in any rush.
Your music has drawn similarities to the likes of Undergang, Autopsy and a number of other bands with that sick, raw and filthy old Death Metal sound – do you agree and which bands would you say have influenced your sound the most?
Tibor – We both like Autopsy and Undergang too so it’s not a surprise to me if people compare us to them.
Undergang’s sound is a huge influence to me. I think this is how this sort of death metal should sound. Recorded without metronome, leave all the flows there, no trigger for the drums and fuzz distortion pedal for the down tuned guitars with guttural vocals. That’s the sound that we want and Undergang is doing the same thing so I think they are the band that people can compare to our sound. I would also add Spectral Voice, Phrenelith, Funebrarum and Disma from newer bands, but when we recorded our first release cult demos like “Anatomia Corporis Humani” and “Vulgar Necrolatry” came to our minds.
Also worth to mention that when I write riffs I get inspired by Mortician, Incantation and Asphyx mainly, all of my riffs are basically the grotesque mixtures of those bands.
What lyrical themes are central to Cryptworm’s music and what do you feel influenced these themes?
Tibor – The lyrics are pure horror topics about different ways of dying. I love horror movies, both old and new ones, but I don’t get any inspiration from them - lyrics are always the last thing to do for me and I only start them when we've written a couple of songs.
I keep listening to the shitty home recorded demo version of an actual song and I write the lyrics to the exact song. These are stories that I come up with even if they are not original, I mean for example I didn’t write the lyrics of 'Cannibalized' under the influence of the cult movie 'Cannibal Holocaust.' That song is about getting eaten alive by cannibals but I'm more than sure that you've discovered that. 'Gruesome Death' is about the medieval saw torture method when they accuse you with blasphemy and cut you in half with a saw. 'Gutswamp' is about getting lost in a marsh of entrails and other rotten human remains and getting drowned there.
On the upcoming EP we have 'Rotting Casket' which is another torture method called Scaphism, look it up, you won’t be disappointed. The other song 'Verminosis' is similar, it’s about getting infected and eaten alive by worms and we have also recorded a third song for a future split release called 'Cadaveric Flesh Engorgement' which is about a necrophagous lunatic who devours the remains of his victims.
Currently these are all the songs that we have, I have a few song title possibilities for the next material but no lyrics for them yet.
Joe – you’re currently involved in a number of bands including Haunted Sanity, Nyctothropia and Pale Mist – will these bands be put on hold while you concentrate on Cryptworm or can we hope to see future releases from any of them?
Those bands mentioned are all studio projects so I do them as and when I feel the push to do so. The only other live band I play in outside Cryptworm is Deheaubarth, but it doesn't really affect my time with Cryptworm at all. Nothing is getting put on hold. To be honest neither Cryptworm or Deheubarth are ever really busy to the point where I can't handle both bands.
New releases will come from my other projects in time.
Joe – a lot of the bands you’re currently involved with and also bands you’ve performed for in the past are distinctly Black Metal, what led to you forming a Death Metal band and have you a preference as to which style of music you play?
I've had a passion for Death Metal since my teenage years and I never intentionally avoided playing it, just the opportunity to start or join a Death Metal band never came up until Tibor approached me. As a drummer, I always prefer to play fast and aggressive, so Cryptworm works very well for me, both in playing and style of music.
Tibor – I understand you moved to the U.K. From Hungary during 2014, what prompted your move here and how have you found life in the U.K. since your move? Also, I’m aware you’re a member of two Hungarian bands, Tyrant Goatgaldrakona and Coffinborn – do you intend remaining a member of both, and can we hope to hear any new material from either, or both, in the future?
Tibor – My main reason for moving was my family moved to the U.K. back in 2009 and when I finished university me and my girlfriend thought of going abroad for a while (or forever) since her family members are also all around the world so we had a lot of options to choose from, but we ended up in England because that seemed the best idea and we didn’t regret it.
You know most of the time people who move abroad complain they can’t make friends, relationships or they miss their families. Well, in our case the majority of our family members are abroad and we also made friends immediately. There are awesome gigs here in Bristol and we can always go out and do something. Seriously the only thing that I can really complain about is the fucking wind, I’ll never get used to it.
As for Tyrant Goatgaldrakona and Coffinborn we have plans to carry on but it’s much slower process since I’m abroad. We plan to do a Cryptworm/Tyrant Goatgaldrakona mini tour sometime in the next year and we are also planning to do a 7” split with the two bands. Once that’s done we want to write and record a new album with Tyrant Goatgaldrakona and probably after that we’ll carry on with Coffinborn too since I’m doing both bands with the same guy.
Joe, you're the founder of the fantastic underground label, Sinister Stench Productions – the label recently cleared all its stock in a sale, is this the end of the label or will it be resurrected at a later stage?
After ten years Sinister Stench is dead. The urge to start a label again keeps coming back but I can assure you nothing will ever be released under the banner of Sinister Stench ever again.
Cryptworm’s debut release was your self-titled demo which was released via Goatprayer Records in April of this year in a limited quantity of 100 copies on cassette. The demo garnered you a lot of positive praise and attention – are you pleased with the final recording and are any re-issues planned, perhaps on different formats?
Joe - Yes, I am very pleased with how the demo turned out. Probably the best debut release of any band I've ever been in. Before Goatprayer Records approached us about the release we were planning on releasing it ourselves in a primitive way (xerox covers, tape labels and limited to 50 copies) so when the offer for a full pro tape done in a higher number came I certainly wasn't expecting it and was all too pleased.
Soon the US label Unholy Black Abyss Productions will be reissuing the demo on cassette along with an exclusive patch and shirt, we are hoping for a September release.
As I write this interview Cryptworm has been in the studio to record two tracks for a new 7” EP, 'Verminosis,' how were the recording sessions and is there a set date for the release yet? Also, how do you feel the two new tracks compare to those on the demo?
Tibor – At the end we actually recorded 3 tracks as mentioned above when I talked about the lyrics. The recording sessions were almost exactly the same as the demo. We recorded the drums and vocals with Rich at our rehearsal place, RS Studios then I recorded the guitar and bass parts at home and gave the whole thing to Dan Lowndes of Resonance Sound Studio, he's going to mix and master it within the next couple of weeks. The only difference is he might reamp the guitar tracks if it sounds better, but that’s it, you’ll get nothing new from us - the same rotting, putrid sound.
We could actually put the demo songs next to the EP and the 7” split songs and you would think that it’s the same recording so if you liked our demo then you’ll like our new EP too. I have no idea about the release date yet, we’ll talk about that with Jesus from Me Saco Un Ojo when Dan is finished with the EP.
The new EP is set to be released via Me Saco Un Ojo Records – what led to you being signed by the label and is there a tentative release date yet for the EP? Also, are there any details yet regarding how many copies will be released and are there any plans for releasing it on other formats?
Joe – Dan Lowndes (who mastered our demo) really liked the release and sent the tracks to Jesus from Me Saco Un Ojo Records and he got in touch about working with us in the future.
Me and Tibi had talked about our next release being a 7'' and were actually stuck about which label to ask, so when MSUO got in touch we straight away mentioned the 7'' and he agreed to go ahead with it, we're pretty pleased with how that worked out!
I've been ordering from MSUO and keeping up with their releases for a while now so it's great to be a part of the labels roster.
Dan Lowndes mixed and mastered your debut release and is also responsible for mixing and mastering the new EP – I feel Dan is one of the most talented and respected producers of recent times, do you agree and was he an obvious choice for production duties?
Tibor – He is talented for sure but most importantly he understands what we want. I always worked with producers who didn’t like or care about the sound that I wanted, they even told me that I have this so called “demo sound sickness.”
So I literally always had to compromise with them in the end and had to try a couple of versions of the final mix, but not with Dan.
I gave him Undergang as an example and he nailed it with the first version of the mix.
So, lesson learnt for me, if you play death metal go to someone like Dan who also likes death metal. By the way he wasn’t our first choice since I didn’t even know that he has a studio or worked on some of my favorite releases. Yeah… I should read the booklet of my records more often… Anyways, Terry from Goatprayer Records suggested him when our first choice had to cancel because he was busy with other projects. I’m more than sure that all of my future releases will end up in Dan’s hands from now onwards, and not just the demo and EP that we recorded recently.
Mark Riddick created the artwork for both the demo and also 'Verminosis,' – what led you to choose Mark and how happy are you with the art he’s created for Cryptworm?
Tibor – I’ve been working with Mark since 2012 and mostly only with him. I think he is the best black and white artist and he is also a really humble and nice guy.
He done three logos for my projects and eight cover arts for my bands if I’m not mistaken. He just never disappoints and he also likes my bands so for me he is like an extra member of my projects. The artwork he did for the demo gained the most likes on his Instagram and he was surprised too. I read comments that people will definitely buy the demo even if they haven’t heard a second of it or some of them even talked about a possible tattoo which is an awesome feeling.
We are really happy with him and I've never had any art from him that I didn’t like. He also did some frames for the back page of the EP this time which looks absolutely amazing, he also made the whole 'Verminosis' artwork available in a white version as well and did a t-shirt edition for it too so again, we couldn’t be happier.
The other thing that makes him better for me then the other artists is that he is insanely fast. I often read other people complaining they have to wait months and months for artwork from other artists but with Mark the longest was maybe like four weeks which is still nothing. This time he finished earlier than we did with the recording, he usually finishes most artwork within a week which makes him unbeatable. Of course the quality is all that matters in the end but you just can’t show me a decaying corpse devoured by worms in black and white which is better than his.
Perhaps I’m looking too far ahead but with a demo and 7” EP released in the same year the next logical step is an album, have you any plans for one, and have you much other material written that hasn’t appeared on either of your releases so far?
Tibor – We actually recorded a third song for a 7” split with one of my other bands, Tyrant Goatgaldrakona since we plan to do a short eastern European tour in 2018.
We just have these six songs currently but I have dozens and dozens of ideas and riffs so we’ll start writing new songs after the London gig.
We plan to record a 12” MLP which will contain 4 songs. I want to wait with the full length for a while at least but maybe we will end up like Sadistic Intent, who knows. It’s still better if you want to spin that 7” several more times because you love those songs than to listen to half of a full length and put it away because you are losing interest.
I’m aware your debut live appearance is set to be in London on the 9th of October when you will support Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice, how have rehearsals been progressing and will the fact your debut appearance is such a high profile show add to any nerves on the night?
Joe – We're yet to start rehearsals for live shows as we wanted to get the recordings out of the way, but now that show will be our main focus. Yes, this is a pretty big show for our debut performance, but I'm not nervous, I never get like that. We all know what we're doing and have experience so I'm just looking forward to finally crushing it on stage with Cryptworm.
Have you a session musician in mind for the live appearance or will you perform as a two piece?
Joe – Our good friend G.D.C from Abyssal will be filling in on bass for us.
Does Cryptworm have any further live shows planned for the rest of 2017, or even early 2018 and which bands would you most like to share the stage with?
Joe – Nothing planned for 2017 after the Blood Incantation show (we're open to offers) but we do have a show in Bristol at the beginning of 2018.
No idea who I'd like to share the stage with, I don't really set my goals like that. As long as the bands are good and we're as far away from all that brutal/slam shit as possible then I'm good.
Tibor – Sharing the stage with Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice is what I would write here but luckily we’ll be able to do that soon. Other bands like Disma, Funebrarum, Undergang and Phrenelith would be also awesome but I don’t really care either. If they don’t have the “rockstar” attitude, then any band is good for me as long as they play similar music to us.
Cryptworm has made a very positive start, with a successful demo launch, your new EP recorded and due for release later this year and also a debut live date – how do you plan on keeping up this memento for the rest of this year and even into early 2018?
Tibor – As mentioned before we plan to start writing the new material after the gig in London which will include four songs possibly. Also there is the Tyrant Goatgaldrakona 7” split planned for the mini tour in 2018 but I don’t think it will be released anytime soon.
So yeah, just rehearsing and writing new songs for the rest of the year for us. If we get other live show offers, we might accept them but currently we have nothing for 2017 besides the Blood Incantation/Spectral Voice gig.
The underground is flourishing, both in the U.K. and also on a global scale and I feel with this growth our world has, to a certain degree, unfortunately been infiltrated by posers, hipsters and trendies – do you agree with this and do you feel underground extreme music will have the same audience in five years’ time?
Joe – Ever since I got into metal in my early teens there have always been fake, trendy, poser people. It's nothing new, it'll be the same in fifty years’ time let alone five, and I just simply don't care about them. Although these days I've noticed the number of those type of people is rising. When having such easy access to listen to whatever album they want online, buying shirts and other merch extremely easily I do often wonder how many of these people are genuine fans of the music as opposed to people just jumping on the bandwagon. But still, I ultimately don't care, I do what I do and people can take it or leave it. I do this for myself and I shit on the rest.
Which bands from the underground do you feel deserve a higher profile than they currently enjoy both within the U.K. and further afield?
Joe – It' hard to say. Most of the death metal bands I admire in the UK are starting to get somewhere. With Vacivus having an album out soon on Profound Lore, Live Burial getting a name for themselves by being signed to Dunkelheit Productions and Sheol having made an impact being on Iron Bonehead's roster.
One band I do feel deserves more attention is Hellsworn, they did a killer EP a few years ago but with other members busy with other bands, you pretty much don't hear any news from them these days.
2017 has been one of the most productive years in recent times with regards to underground music – which releases have you enjoyed most so far this year, and which are you looking forward to hearing in the latter part of the year?
Joe – For me personally, I really dig the new Undergang, Phrenelith and Skelethal albums. I'm also really looking forward to the new Spectral Voice.
Tibor – I love those records too, I played the shit out of my Undergang LP. I could also add the new Incantation 'Profane Nexus,' I think this is their best album since “Diabolical Conquest”. Contaminated’s debut 'Final Man' was also a great surprise, massive death metal from Australia with the most bestial vocals ever. Oh, and the new Antichrist 'Sinful Birth' is also a must have. I haven’t really listened to any thrash metal lately but this record is just pure awesomeness!
Also there is Fetid’s debut demo cassette 'Sentient Pile of Amorphous Rot' which is one of my favorite demos of the year for sure. Other records that I enjoyed from 2017: Gorephilia 'Severed Monolith', Necrot 'Blood Offerings,' Tomb Mold 'Primordial Malignity,' Triumvir Foul 'Spiritual Bloodshed' and of course the new Weregoat.
As for upcoming releases I also can’t wait to hear the debut full length from Spectral Voice and I also heard that there will be a new Pissgrave record at the end of this year.
Joe/Tibor thank you both very much for the time taken to answer these questions, any closing comments are all yours…..
Joe – Thanks for your support. Prepare to be crushed by more Cryptworm soon.
Tibor – Thanks for the interview! Go check out our Facebook page if you want to find out more about the band. Those who want to see us live see you soon in London!
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