Cryptopsy Interview

With a highly dynamic new record, "Once Was Not", that expands the musical horizons and a highly visible spot touring this fall with Suffocation, Cryptopsy have returned triumphant. With a brand-new video clip for "The Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness", and a European tour on the slate with Grave and Aborted, the band is truly unstoppable. Lord Worm has returned to the group, his patented death shriek being fully intact and here, he shares with us his thoughts about this voracious machine of death...


The Gauntlet: Right now, the band is in Los Angeles in the midst of a US tour. How are things going for you on the tour thus far?

Lord Worm: The crowds are good for sure. It's pretty crazy, kind of like Texas crowds. Today's our day off, so we're catching up on business.


The Gauntlet: Tell us a little bit about the recording of "Once Was Not"

Lord Worm: We wanted the polish that we had for the past two albums, but we wanted the rawness of the first two. I think we might have achieved that. It's typical Cryptopsy�but more extreme. There are certain beats and riffing patterns that no one has ever heard before. I even tried to balance some Mike DeSalvo into my vocals so that no one would feel left out.


The Gauntlet: Was this an album that was easy for you to create?

Lord Worm: No. But of course, it was mostly pre-written by the time that I came back anyway. So I was left with an accomplished fact and from there, I just added my bit. Particularly, those songs came out in one giant spurt. They wanted a concept album, so it had to be basically written all at once.


The Gauntlet: How did if feel for you to return to the band with so much of the album having been completed before you returned? Did it make it more difficult for you to deliver your performance because you were not as involved with the project?

Lord Worm: Definitely. As I say, I was presented with eight completed tracks, all at one time. It was right there, one big thud. It was like "Okay, lyricise this." Then the restraints started coming in, "Don't use naughty bits, don't use overt blasphemy, do this, don't do that." It was like okay, here we go. It was an interesting challenge.


The Gauntlet: Are there any specific reasons that they didn't want you to approach those types of topics? Was it because it had less to do with the concept that was already in place?

Lord Worm: Partly, I guess�well, the thing is with the concept, "Once Was Not", is pretty broad. What are you going to do with that? You have to find something that once didn't exist, but now does and then do something linear with it, so as to make it a concept. So I chose the history of human fear.


The Gauntlet: So the entire concept revolves around fear in particular?

Lord Worm: Yes, it does. But let's face it, fear is not a general thing. It's very specific. Most fears, if not all, stem from a fear of dying. But even the fear of dying comes from fear of the unknown, because we don't know what lies beyond. So we have all of these manifestations of the unknown, and of dying in one way or another. Throughout the ages, we look at primitive man, who sat around the campfire to keep the beasties away, to modern man, whether the fear is of terrorist attacks or bizarre diseases or better computer viruses or whatever.


The Gauntlet: Do you feel that much of the time, fear is an illusion that is manufactured by the mind, an emotion that revolves around intangibles that may not actually exist?

Lord Worm: Absolutely. But that would be in other people's lives. There's no fear in my life because I actually feel pretty safe.


The Gauntlet: How are fans responding to the new material? Are fans enjoying the new songs in concert?

Lord Worm: Yes. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback from the three that we employ, "Carrionshine", "Adeste Infidelis" and "The Frantic Pace Of Dying." A lot of people would like to see "Angelskingarden" live. I know that on future tours, we are going to be employing "The Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness", we just finished doing a video clip for that three weeks ago.


The Gauntlet: What can fans expect from the clip, what is the video like?

Lord Worm: Swampy. We recorded this video literally thigh deep in a swamp, except Flo, because he was on a drum riser. We spent fourteen and a half hours thigh-deep in a swamp. We were given rubber boots, which was very kind, except that they only come up to a bit below the knee. You'll recall I mentioned thigh-deep. So, the boots filled up with water in less than a minute. Fourteen and a half hours with swamp muck in my boots. I didn't keep that pair of socks.


The Gauntlet: Was it exciting for you to do a full-blown video production for the first time?

Lord Worm: Oh it was more of a bother than anything else, let's face it, it came a week before the tour. We were still expecting a bus at this point, because we had pre-paid it, using my credit card and you can imagine how pleasurable it was to find out, the day after we were supposed to leave, "Oh, no bus." So we had to scramble for an RV and a U-Haul trailer, and we had to scramble for Aborted as well, to get them on the road. They were stuck in New York City with no vehicle. So of course, it was twenty-five hours, straight through, to get from Montreal to Nashville. Of course, we had to pick up the tail end of Hurricane Rita�


The Gauntlet: So Cryptopsy played at Disneyland last night? What type of an experience is that, death metal at Disneyland?

Lord Worm: See, you have to go even further with that. You have to go further and say Suffocation, Aorted, Despised Icon, Cryptopsy and Cattle Decapitation at Disneyland tonight (sings a little circus music ditty)!


The Gauntlet: Did Mickey drop by the show?

Lord Worm: No, we had to hunt his bitch ass down. I and Sven of Aborted decided we had to go and mingle, mangle and drink at Disneyland, because we must.


The Gauntlet: Are you already looking forward to being more involved with the creation of the next Cryptopsy album?

Lord Worm: I'm not really looking to the future with a goal in mind. It's more like I am looking forward to the writing. That is the future for me, to start writing new stuff.


The Gauntlet: Do you think that the next album is going to be an angrier album than "Once Was Not?"

Lord Worm: Oh, it can't miss. There is not much anger in "Once Was Not." The lyrical restraint was too extreme, and it was an interesting challenge, but it's not ordinarily what I would have done. Despite what were a few interesting moments, and that title "Angelskingarden", great title, but given my druthers, I would have done it differently.


The Gauntlet: What is it that you ultimately seek to express as a musician?

Lord Worm: Derangement.


The Gauntlet: Why is that?

Lord Worm: It is satisfying. It causes fear. I love to feed on fear, it's that blank look, and it's enjoyable.




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Tags:  Cryptopsy  , Lord Worm - Vocals, interviews

EF    October 12, 2005