Not only does Calgary’s Krepitus straddle the divide between death and thrash metal, but the quartet does so with an every-cloud-has-a-silver-lining thematic uniqueness. Sure, the world is fucked and we’re all fucked, but there’s no point in revelling in being bent over and reamed by the forces that be when one can make productive use of the torment and bullshit we’re faced with every day. Krepitus want you to know that it’s not all gloom and doom, even if it feels like it’s all gloom and doom. We want you to know a bit more about this band, their sound, approach and attitude, so we’re offering a sneak peek at the band’s The Eyes of the Soulless full-length debut ahead of its November 25th release. We also caught up with guitarist/vocalist Teran Wyer for an email dissection (pun intended) of all things Krepitus.
What can you tell us about the band’s history?
Teran Wyer: Starting out in 2013, we had very little resources. Practicing and writing on a terrible electric drum kit in a tiny spare bedroom, we worked out the material for our first demo. It wasn’t long until we decided the project could have a future, so we started to build back the pieces to form a legitimate band. After many line-up changes and songs that have come and gone, we started to refine the sound and solidify ourselves musically.
What’s the meaning/origin of the band’s name?
The name Krepitus comes from the Latin word “crepitus,” which refers to the sound created from the friction of bones crushing together. After hearing its description in a first aid course I couldn’t imagine a better title for our sound.
When putting Krepitus together, did you have a particular sound goal or direction in mind in terms of the type of metal you wanted to play or did the sound just happen naturally?
Once we had established our line-up fully for this record, Eyes of the Soulless, the writing just came naturally. Though we all have a varied style in terms of what we personally listen to there is a chemistry that happens in the jam room I’d never experienced before. Having a few similarities, Death and Carcass in particular, made it easy to establish a direction through our eclectic batch of influences.
Tell us about writing and recording The Eyes of the Soulless.
Krepitus was going through some massive changes throughout the writing process. The separation of our previous guitarist and vocalist, Brandon and Byron Lemley of Numenorean, left some very large shoes to fill. When we started writing these songs it was never thought of that I would become the singer on the album. The addition of Matt van Wezel gave us that dual guitar sound we’d been searching for and working alongside Curtis Beardy on the bass forced us into a unique place of uncertainty that pushed the music in directions we had never previously thought we’d tread.
Have you toured very extensively and what do you feel you’ve learned from playing live that you’ve been able to apply to the new album?
Much of our tour experience comes from our previous projects. With ten years of bands being the focus of our lives it has made collectively for some great stories and experiences. It really showed me the importance of keeping the music real, no amount of effects or backing tracks can hide a dull riff. Our songs are designed to be played live. We tried to keep the recording as natural as we could in an attempt to properly represent our true styles, that which comes directly from ourselves and our amplifiers.
What is the significance or story behind the album’s title and tell us about the album cover, if you could be so kind?
We certainly can be so kind! The concept of this album is based largely around life experiences, and the emerging science behind addiction. The concept of the world around you and the experiences of young life design a mind either of acceptance of life or one with a desire to escape. The cover – and much more directly, the inside cover – portray the circle of a life of abuse. The mind is built through experience and it is precisely those experiences that will be the death of the many people our society leaves behind, be it through blame, ignorance, avoidance or just a misunderstanding of the problem.
We’re premiering the album today on the blog, what other info can you impart upon us about the record?
Writing of one’s own art is always a challenge, you get so far within it becomes impossible to see the forest from the trees. Thankfully, as with all of life, there comes outside perspectives. So, for now I have to borrow this description, “Dissection meets Revocation with some Death thrown in for good measure.” The one guiding light we followed in the writing of Soulless was Chuck Schuldiner, his influence will live on and it’s always an honour to see it recognized.
There are many references to emotional pain if not psychic torture in the bio/press stuff. How would you characterize the emotional component of the band’s music and what role does this band play in your standard means of expression?
Death metal is an incredible vehicle for intensity, for abrasive and often completely destructive emotions. I think it’s that fact that draws many people to metal and death metal in particular. Though I love the gore aspect in many death metal bands, for me it’s the engaging of the darker natures of reality that drew me to the genre. Many might look at our music and see only pessimism, but I prefer to look at the world with such an optimism that to be blind to the sadistic aspects of modern society would be to disrespect its potential for beauty. Though this makes for a difficult writing process, and an even more difficult experience going back to that mindset live, we feel it important to bring the human element into our music and allow the truest and often darkest aspects of ourselves to shine through.
What are your plans once the record is out and about and do you have any long term plans, or dreams?
For plans, live will become the focus. Thankfully with the lengthy process of recording we’ve been able to do a large portion of the writing for what will become the second record. We have some studio time booked in January to do a single. Just something to bide our time with while we decide on the appropriate place to capture album number two.
Krepitus on Facebook and Bandcamp
