Kryptos: Old School Metal

Split Magazine caught up with Jack, frontman of Kryptos, one of India’s most respected and renowned metal bands, for an exclusive interview.

What has Kryptos been up to in the recent past? There hasn’t been too much activity in terms of gigs, etc, the last one you played being the Unmaad 2006 competition.

Nothing much actually — drinking beer, writing songs, drinking beer, writing songs, etc. We have just sealed a record deal with an American label (Old School Metal Records)… it’s a one album contract. We have been busy getting our second album in place — the songwriting, the concept, the cover art, and a whole lot more… basically we are looking at getting heavier, nastier, and it’s going to be more in-your-face than the previous record. We have also been re-designing the [Kryptos] web-site.

Sadly enough, Axe (Akshay Patel, guitars) chose to leave the band. He’s an extremely talented guitar player, however he wanted to focus on his academics. Hope to see him blow a few amps in the future!

So yes, not much, but a lot has been happening with the band in the recent past.

You released your first album ‘Spiral Ascent’ in 2004, and it was quite popular among Indian metal fans — as you said in a previous interview, “everyone who knows their metal has a copy”. You even scored some deals with popular international metal labels like Cursed Productions, Beowolf Productions, Blood Bucket and The End Records. It’s been nearly two years now, since ‘Spiral Ascent’ was released — how has the album done in terms of sales, and otherwise (in terms of feedback, reviews, etc.)?

‘Spiral Ascent’ did really well, more so outside our country. The album sold primarily in Europe and South America. The distro deals we got with the labels you have mentioned above did help us a lot in terms of sales and more in terms of getting Kryptos (the name itself) established. And yes, I’d like to reiterate my previous statement — everybody who knows their metal has a copy of ‘Spiral Ascent’. We were even voted by maximummetal.com as one of five bands to look forward to in 2005. Apart from great sales, we’ve received awesome reviews, feedback and constructive criticism… so yeah, it has been great!

When I last spoke to you, you said your upcoming album (the follow-up to ‘Spiral Ascent’) would be called ‘Drastic Imagery’. Can you tell the fans reading this interview about the following songs (to be featured on the new album)?

Yeah, it’s still the working title, the album WILL be out in May, 2007.

Order of the DNA: This is a follow-up to “(Forgotten) Land Of Ice” and “Expedition To Abnormalia”, which as most know, are songs related to each other. This is where the protagonist sees the rise of a society similar to the one he ran away from (read: land of ice)

Liquid Grave: Very personal. Rather not.

Trapped in Dali: I’m a huge Salvador Dali fan. And this song is about a dream I dreamt. Very eclectic.

Serpent Harvest: I don’t think this one will feature on the upcoming album, so…

Sujay and Arvind from Bhumi had guest performances on a couple of songs in ‘Spiral Ascent’. Are there going to be any guest musicians appearing on the upcoming album?

These collaborations usually happen during post-production, so haven’t really given any such mind-bending disasters a thought.

Can you talk the fans through these songs from your first album?

Altered Destinies: Beer

Clandestine Elements: Beer

Satyr Like Face: Beer

Forsaken: Beer

Descension: Beer

There were also music videos made by one of your fans for two of the songs from the album — “Descension”? and “Altered Destinies”? if I’m not mistaken. Why did you guys never “officially”? release those videos?

Hahahahahah! We’d have fucking Stanley Kubrick’s estate account managers rapping on our doors that’s why. These were videos that were made by a friend of ours for kicks — that’s that.

Now it’s time for the last of Jack.

When was the last time you got really drunk?
When you’re really drunk, time is a variable concept.

When was the last time you dabbled in suspicious substances?
Depends on what your definition of suspicious and substances. Because I think caffeine is a suspicious substance, so is literature and art.

Which was the last CD/cassette you bought?
John Lee Hooker — Country Blues, Pain Of Salvation — Be, Chic Corea — Rhumba Flamenco, Fela Kuti — Na Poi, Fela Kuti — Yellow Fever.

Who was the last rock star you shook hands with?
Arfaaz (drummer, Zebediah Plush).

When was the last time you signed an autograph?
Yesterday.

Do you have any final words for the people reading this? What can they expect from Kryptos in the near future?
Like Karl Marx said, “Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough”. He could probably say that since he lived in a commie nutshell, as for Democratic metalheads like me it going to be, “Drink Beer, Stay Heavy, Buy Our F*****g Albums!!”