Interviews: Cryoshock

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal/Thrash Metal band Cryoshock from Sweden. Check out this band and follow them on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

We struggled to come up with a band for quite some time and discarded a multitude of suggestions before we settled. Eventually, we sat down with a list of ideas and words that we bounced around, twisted, turned, and combined, and finally decided to come up with "Cryoshock".

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

The style that we play is what comes naturally to us. We are different individuals with different music tastes, and the result is a fusion of that. We like to play energetic music, so that's what we do. We usually say that we play thrash/death metal, although honestly, we don't really feel at home in that description. But it serves a purpose when people ask what our music sounds like, but don't want an entire essay in response.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Lars and Martin knew each other as they played in a band together in the late 90s, and they started Cryoshock together. After not having talked for quite some time, they randomly ran into each other at a festival, started talking about music, and decided to start a band together.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Lars highlights Motörhead as a band that has always been a part of his life, with attitude having at least as much significance as their music. Martin usually replies "Dissection" to this question, but "favorite band" isn't absolute, and changes from day to day or even hour to hour. Niklas mentions Type O Negative as his long-time favorite.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

There is no doubt that the core of our music is death metal, and as such the greatest inspiration, lyric-wise is of course death and various themes surrounding it. No matter which song you listen to, if you check out the lyrics you will notice that there is a connection to death in one way or another, although in some cases less explicit. When it comes to the music, we just try to write stuff that we will enjoy playing, and that we believe will work well in a live setting.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was at a place called Oden, located in Karlskrona which is a city close to where we live. We supported Entrails for a few shows last year, and that was our final show together with them.

7. Where would you like to act?

We want to play anywhere and everywhere! We haven't played any outdoor festivals, so that would be fun!

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

It doesn't really matter, we will play with anyone! But we usually have the most fun playing with other bands that are roughly on our own level. Although it obviously helps if they are a bit more established and able to pull some people to the show!

9. Whom not?

There are not really any bands that we wouldn't want to play with at this point. Just get us on the bill already!

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Not really, but the best way to beat it is probably by gaining experience. Rehearse and practice like crazy until you know for certain that you can perform the songs well, and then it will become easier for every time you go up on stage as you build your confidence. You also learn that making a mistake isn't the end of the world - and you are usually the only one who even notices anyway! 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

All the bands that we like have probably inspired us to some extent, and that's quite a few. But a couple that stand out are Megadeth, Prong, and maybe early Metallica... perhaps not so much stylistically but more so when it comes to songwriting and arrangements.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We don't really have any good stories like that so far, but we are certainly looking forward to receiving some sick and bizarre requests in the future!

13. What do you think of your fans?

They are awesome of course, but way too few! We hope to gain a lot more fans now that our debut album is finally out there.

14. What do you think of our site?

It's a cool site, packed with interesting reading, and a nice mix of bands. Many of the discussions go in-depth, which is great. And the layout looks very professional, so kudos on that!

15. Something to add?

Thanks for the opportunity to speak our minds! And if anyone managed to read through it all, that's mighty impressive! Cheers, and horns up!