A few questions - inteview with death metal band from France

A few questions - inteview with death metal band from France - CRYOXYD.

Answered Eron (Guitars, Vocals, Synths), thank you!

Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play etc.?

Hello, I formed Cryoxyd (Eron) from the ashes of my former band „In Memory Of…“ around 2000, I think. At the time, we released two demos between 2003 and 2006, but the band split not long after I moved to Paris, mainly because—oddly enough—I couldn’t find a drummer.

It has to be said that the style back then was a bit more unusual: a mix of death metal, industrial elements, and overly elaborate song structures. I publicly put the project on hold. I then composed the album on my own between 2006 and 2008, before reviving the band around 2019. It went on hiatus again during the Covid period, and afterward I ran into lineup issues.

Today, the style is definitively rooted in 90s Tampa Bay–style death metal.

Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering?

We recorded the album at home, each of us in our own space, as it was originally meant to be a studio project—my project—and I neither had the financial means nor the intention to record it in a professional studio.

The mixing and mastering were handled by Kristian Ogir at Everloud Studios in Denmark, and I’m very satisfied with the result.

How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?

For now, Dolorem Records has only released 400 CDs. We don’t yet have the financial means to press vinyl, but we’ll be opening pre-orders soon. I don’t think there will be a cassette release, as I admit it raises a kind of ecological dilemma for me. That said, I’m not even sure what pollutes more in the end—physical formats or digital.

Of course, the album is available on all streaming platforms.

Who is the author of the lyrics, how were they created, and what do they deal with?

The lyrics were written by me.

They broadly deal with humanity and society, touching on subjects meant to provoke reflection without being overtly philosophical. Beliefs are also addressed, as well as introspection, all set against a fundamentally misanthropic backdrop.

Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important?

I created the logo myself, and a friend of mine, Kevirus, handled the cover artwork, while the layout was done by David Fakrikian.

At the moment, we don’t have a website yet, but we’ll be working on that soon. As for social media, to be honest, I’m not very comfortable with it and I don’t particularly like it, but nowadays everything goes through social platforms, so there’s really no choice.

There’s also an ecological dilemma involved, because during a promotion period you inevitably overuse social media—posting constantly, reels, stories in every direction—and you start wondering whether it’s really useful compared to the pollution it generates. It’s a real issue.

Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takés care about you?

Dolorem Records was the best option among those who showed interest in this album.

I used to hang out on Sunday afternoons at a small nightclub/concert venue in Paris called Le Klub, where I discovered several bands whose albums I immediately bought—albums that were released through Dolorem Records.

I also had friends on the label who spoke very highly of them; I’m thinking in particular of Infern and Misgivings. Alex, the head of the label, does a solid job with promotion, and above all he’s someone who is genuinely passionate about the underground scene.

Which bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?

Obviously, all late-80s and 90s death metal bands, but more specifically from the Florida scene, even though there are also some European influences. That said, I think Cryoxyd’s style clearly fits within the 1990s Tampa, Florida wave.

My favorite band is, of course, Death, but also Mercyless, Pestilence, Monstrosity, Brutality, Nocturnus, and Morbid Angel—these are, I think, the influences that come through the most on this album.

Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response?

Obviously, I first sent the album to the bigger labels—some replied, others didn’t. I reached out to all the well-known labels, both larger and mid-sized, but not so much to smaller ones, because I was already thinking about Dolorem Records for that category. To me, they seemed like the best option based on what I knew, and above all, I really like the bands signed to the label, which is naturally a mark of quality in my eyes.

I did receive very encouraging feedback from an American label, but they didn’t want to commit to a debut album yet. They advised me to first build and develop the project with the first release, and potentially consider working together on a second album if the project proves to be sufficiently established.

How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best?

For the moment, we haven’t played live yet.

Our first show will take place on March 28th in Nantes, and we’ll most likely play another show the day before on the Paris–Nantes route. That said, we really need to find a proper deal with a booking agent, because I don’t want to exhaust the band by playing tiny, poorly structured shows.

We all have a solid musical background. For instance, Greg on drums plays or has played in several bands such as Deathcode Society on Osmose Productions, Glaciation on the same label, and Ufych on Holy Records. Jeff previously played in an Iron Maiden tribute band alongside Denis Stratton himself, guitarist on Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album. As for me, I played in a punk band, Metal Urbain, with whom I toured internationally and recorded an album in San Francisco with Jello Biafra, former singer of Dead Kennedys.

We’re not newcomers to music, and as a result, we won’t accept just any conditions.