It took years and years for Krypta to release their debut album. Yet “Krypta” was worth the wait – a dark/gothic/doom metal gem with many other different music elements, which should not be missed by fans from all over the world. Myth of Rock tried to connect with the Ukrainian band and finally we have come up with a very interesting, in-depth interview. Uncover the world of Krypta!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
You released your debut album 10 years since your formation. Why did it take you so long? Give us a short biography of Krypta.
Quite a series of unfortunate events it is. The album had to be out a bit earlier. Like, Covid summer earlier. But, first it was Covid summer. Then there’s Russian war against Ukraine. Before all that, the songs were ready, rehearsed and performed live on multiple occasions. And then, the real life has intervened. The band itself gathered in 2014 to have a bit of a modern look at the music ideas that we grew with. We understood that the scene was much wider, deeper and more aggressive than what we saw in the 90s – and to realize this, we decided not to hold back. Everything went: progressive drums, death guitar riffs, black scream. We wanted to take a listener for a journey, with its ups and downs, moments of joy and some bitterness… And we achieved what we wanted – our album turned out to be tender and romantic and dark and brutal at the same time. That’s how music should be.
How do you feel now that your debut album is out? If you had the chance, would you change something to the album now?
We’ve been working on that album for so long that we almost don’t believe it’s over. Our jobs were changing, partners too, children were born, relatives dying, the world we knew ended, and after that, the great war came, to make the full circle of shit look complete. And through all that, we were working the album. Right now, it feels a bit strange and empty to not be doing it anymore. Would we like to change anything? Yes. A lot. The world that we brought that album into.
How would you define your music style? Which are your music trademarks?
If we have to name something – okay, it’s dark metal, highly influenced by doom. Although the vocalist tends to think that it’s gothic doom. And the drummer adheres to something closer to “fucked up nostalgic atheistic melodic down tempo djent” genre. We don’t think genres or styles when writing a song. We think emotions, contrasts and stories. That’s why our version of the beauty and the beast has a lot of hysterical black screams, and the violin has that strange folk vibe to it. We follow the emotions, not canons or genres.
Which are your main music influences?
This is simple. None that we’d call “main” or “major”. Our music scope is like a moonless sky at night – there’s a whole lot of stars, we can name a whole lot of them, but we definitely won’t be able to answer which star, or a dozen of stars are main in that sky. Deicide, Katatonia, Death, Pantera and My Dying Bride have to mentioned anyway, and so are ABBA, Necrophagist, Evanescence and the Gathering. We can be going with that list for quite a while.
Who does write music and lyrics in Krypta? How is a typical Krypta song composed?
Everything starts with Dmytro, the lead guitarist, bringing the short demo, like a minute long. Then, the band iterates through that demo, trying to develop it into a story. We do a lot of that online. Our habit of recording demos early and iterating different cuts did help a lot when shaping the songs that made it to the album. Dmytro takes part in that and has a golden vote, but it usually comes down to “It has mutated so much from my initial demo that I don’t recognize it, I’m not comfortable having let it go that far, but – fuck, okay, there’s a story here”. A year later Roma, the vocalist, brings the lyrics. They usually are highly intellectual and abstract, and the language is so fancy that you feel the urge to revisit some literature classes, but – still, this happens a year later.
Which feelings of yours do you try to express through your music and lyrics?
Our songs tell stories about mental states and emotions that people are going through every day. They tell about anxiety, disbelief, despair and anger. But, believing that it’s that simple is a mistake. The whole life is built upon the ordinary. Our decisions are influenced by how we’re feeling in the moment, be it happy, or sick, maybe angry, or in love. We tell stories about things that make us be us. This drives not only the lyrics, but the music, too. It’s important for us that every riff, every vocalization, every hit carries an emotion.
Where was the album recorded? Who did the production? The mixing and the mastering?
Drums were tracked at Joncofy Studio, in Kyiv. Male vocals recorded by Ivan Popov (@el_pianiste) Quite a bunch of guitar work had really big help from Valeri Golub, (https://www.facebook.com/valeriy.golub.5) Everything else was recorded in a non-studio setting. Mixing and mastering done by Dmitry Kim (https://www.facebook.com/dmitrykiiiiim) , with production input from the band.
Have you written already new songs for your next album? If yes, how do they sound? When should we expect your sophomore album?
There’s a EP worth of stuff, which may ferment well enough till autumn. We’re going different places, it won’t sound like a 9th and 10th songs from the debut album. The album was built on the life that’s now gone.
No “whens” in our situation, the first thing that you learn when living through a war – your planning horizon is fucked. You mostly know what happens today, hope for a next week, and the less you try to build upon the next month – the less fucked you are when those plans come circling down the drain.
Have you played any live shows until now? Are you planning any new shows? How do you sound live in concert?
Before the war, we were performing in our home city of Kyiv every now and then.. Those were the good times and great vibes. Nothing beats a small gig with a wild crowd, we loved every minute of it. But, war changes things. Before the missiles hit, our exaggerated stories told through music were the right fit for the life around them. Like we said earlier, they built up upon the life that is now gone. We doubt we’ll be playing pre-war stuff ever again. The live sound… let’s just say that it’s not a mess, which is an accomplishment for a 7-piece band.
Which are your dreams for Krypta?
A small tour around the country. The whole country.
You hail from Ukraine. How are things for metal in Ukraine?
Not great. Especially for performing live. Russians target large civilian gatherings, so – no open-airs, and your venue is as good as its certified bomb shelter. A lot of really good music was written by local bands recently. Strong stories, strong emotions that you definitely don’t want to happen anywhere near you. Also, lots of songs that won’t ever be written or performed, because the musicians doing them were killed by Russians. Here’s a couple of faces that did good music. Won’t anymore.
https://www.facebook.com/shulzmzfk
https://www.facebook.com/amorthdrums/
How has the war against Ukraine affected you as individuals and as a band?
We’re kinda not through with that shit, so it’s hard to give a definite answer. If we were to push this undercooked can of experiences, it would start with a lot of disillusions. The western way implies some quality of life. And an expectation that there’s a higher power, like the UN, to overwatch stuff. Or, Red Cross to help with healthcare essentials in a crisis. Or, that people on the European continent have evolved far enough from being feral, and can be trusted not to shit in the living rooms, and wipe their asses afterwards. Ah, sweet memories of times when this could be believed to be true. I’d specifically mention two things:
– the Red Cross won’t do the emergency birth control for rape victims in Russian detention camps. Because it’s not humane.
– on 8th of July, 2024, the Russians bombed a central hospital dedicated to cancer kids. UN reaction? A dinner with Kyiv-style cutlets as a main dish.
What about the Covid-19 pandemic effects on you?
Lo and behold! We have a miracle! There’s no Covid! The whole country has miraculously healed on 24th of February, 2022. Because absolutely no one gives a flying fuck about Covid when one’s about to be publicly raped and killed, not necessarily in that order. Missiles don’t care about covid, too.
Send your message to the fans!
Help Ukraine in any way you can, before our problems walk through us and come to you.
– You can give refugee a hand? Good!
– You can counter the Russian narrative? Even better.
– You can donate to a fund that makes a real difference? Great! And our eternal gratitude.
Stay authentic, sad and doom.