User:Deadworld/sandbox

The Krypt Started as an idea in 1987, I had a thrash band called "Chaos" (and who didn't at that time) I used to draw the flyers for the band and always depicted the band members as demonic creatures playing onstage but we were just kids in jeans and t-shirts. I wanted to make that demonic band a reality.

The genesis of the idea actually came from my love of horror movies and when I was 10 years old I heard "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniel's Band. I always love the part when the devils was playing the fiddle and "A band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this"! Well that was rocking the Devil blew away that country boy but NOOOO the Devil was robbed! And at 10 years old no matter how many times I listened to that song the Devil never got his due. The Idea of a band of demons stuck with me for life

The name "The Krypt" came from my friends guitar case which had "The Crypt" written on it in creepy letters, I thought it was a great name, a place where there be demons! The Krypt!

I moved to Maryland because I had a friend of the family willing to rent me a room cheap! I placed ads in Roxx Magazine and found the Drummer, Dale Cord who listed King Diamond, Racer X and Cacophony as influences. Then I found Guitarist John Winner who was into Merciful Fate and Metallica, We then Found Lead Guitarist Troy- damn can't remember his last name! who was into Randy Rhodes and Malmsteen! We finally rounded out the band with bassist Tom Leal who liked Fates Warning and the Red Hot Chilly Peppers and Slayer.

I had been writing material for a concept album because it took so long to find other thrash metal musicians that would work with a keyboard player and enter into a band that would wear prosthetic make up and costumes. I had no idea how I was going to to this but that was the plan

We rehearsed wrote and hung out together, I walked into my local video store and the kid behind the counter was creating a latex cut on his arm. I said "hey! Do you know how to do prosthetic make up?" And he said he did and would only charge me for materials! I thought this was fantastic! I soon realized that he really did not know what he was doing after failed attempts at life casting one which burned my face. So did them with straight plaster on out faces! He could not sculpt so I sculpted the appliances and he made the molds and cast up the pieces.

Our fist show was at the Paragon in College Park, Maryland, I think it was during the summer of 1988 the kid was putting us in make up and it looked really bad all muddy and grey I was looking at him work and he kept flipping the make up over to look at the underside, So I looked and the underside and he had the colors written there… He was fucking colorblind!!!! AGGH! I said, " You can't be a make up artist and be colorblind." He replied, " well lots of people overcome their disabilities" I had to explain that there were no one legged men in the NBA, the special olympics maybe but not in the professional world. He had the basics to sculpt and make molds and all the theory but could not apply the make up so I jumped in to help.

I must explain that this concept album was also for live shows the songs had to be played in order and there was musical interlude with a narration in-between songs so the music never stopped. I don't think that College Park was ready for such an avant garde experience in fact today most audiences just don't get it, but I had a dream! The show was rough but not bad for a first one, the make up was falling off me so I ripped the rest off and people thought it was part of the show. The reviews were mixed, some people thought we played one really long song! Some people appreciated what we were trying to do.

Around this time I met a fellow named Don Wingo and he enjoyed the band, he introduced me to Scott Forest who was a guitarist and owned a 4 track tape recorder. I met Scott on my 19th Birthday and the next day we borrowed his girlfriends Toyota pick up truck and Don, Scott and I drove to Florida to pick up my Hearse and P.A. Equipment. Scott and I became close friends as I told him the concept story of The Krypt's first album in fact we were so involved in the story that we drove around the Beltway twice missing our exit not one but two times! We drove down and back nonstop, we put the casket from the hearse in back of the little pick up and took turns sleeping in it on the return trip it was really comfortable compared to the cab of the truck! Scott woke up at a rest stop and scared the shit out of some kids when he lifted the coffin lid!

Scott offered to record us on his 4 track so we went into my mothers basement and started to record. I was such a damned dictatorial perfectionist that none of the recording were good enough for me, looking back we just should have gone through with it, I think we only did 3 songs, Magick, The Quest, The Black School. Maybe the Awakening? I have no Idea what ever became of that recording.

We continued to do small shows at local venues

I decided that I wanted to record a professional album in a pro studio. I found this great studio owned by a guy named Micky Rat! What was I thinking! The studio was nice and he saw us coming! Yes sir for the low low price of 10,000.00 us dollars we could have an album. I figured there were 5 of us so that is 2,000.00 each so very doable. Guitarist John Winner wanted none of it he was not going to pay to record and that was that so he was out. I felt betrayed by him, man I am such an idiot! I should have listened to him. Coming up with weekly payments the loss of a guitarist was taking a toll on the band and the recording was going slower than anticipated, Mickey Rat like to eat up time showing movies and talking all the while charging us by the hour! I needed to find a new guitarist to replace John I asked Scott if he was into it and he liked the stuff and we got along well but some of what we were doing at the time musically was just beyond where he was at that time. Troy would record all the guitar parts for the songs. We tracked, Magic, The Quest, The Black School, The Awakening, The Sending Of the Succubus and Forces of Evil maybe some others I can't remember.

All the while still looking for a new guitarist, The band decided not to pay for any more recording and that things were to change, I was to only play keyboards and we were going to get a new lead singer/frontman and the concept album idea was out as well as the stage show we were to only focus on more progressive music, well i guess they still like my song writing and playing. I just could not do it though so I backed out. The Krypt was done. Dale, Troy and Tom, formed a new band called Nightfall with a really great vocalist who sounded like rob Halford. It was short lived as Tom was just not feeling it and soon it disbanded.

That was the first incarnation of "The Krypt"