Depending on where you live, some venues have historical significance or infamy to them. In Los Angeles, as is fairly well-known, there are a few such venues like Doug Weston’s Troubadour, The Roxy, and The Whisky a Go-Go.
For their first headline tour in the United States, Crypta sold out the Whisky this past Saturday. I don’t have numbers to say who was the last death metal band to do this, let alone on their first headline tour in the States, but I’m confident it is no small feat.
Since this wasn’t a package tour, the openers for the evening were all locals from throughout California. I prioritized documenting Crypta’s set, but I did want to mention the LA locals Putrescence who were just before Crypta. They’re drummer seemed incredibly dialed in during their set and the band seemed likely to appeal to old-school death metal fans.
Crypta is touring in support of their fantastic sophomore record, Shades of Sorrow. Along with reviewing the record, I also conducted an email interview with their guitarist Tainá Bergamaschi last August for No Echo. I still listen to it regularly and had been eager to hear their material live after missing their first LA show when they toured with Morbid Angel last year.
Starting just before 11pm, Crypta took hold of a tense crowd unlike any other band that night. Early on in the set, a fan seemed to be unconscious and ended up on the stage. The band made a point to stop for the Whisky staff to try and handle the situation as best as possible, and the night seemed to go on without incident.
Bassist/Vocalist Fernanda Lira addressed the crowd to assure everyone they would continue playing soon but wanted to allow the disoriented fan time to be helped.
Aside from some occasional audio challenges, the energy Crypta presents live is unrelenting in the best way. Fernanda is such a commanding presence and clearly enjoys performing as much as it is a catharsis experience. They played all of Shades of Sorrow incorporating the instrumental songs on the album as part of the transitions for the evening along with a few songs from their first record Echoes of the Soul including a personal favorite of mine called ”From the Ashes."
While death metal can range from grotesque horror to almost comical violence, Crypta brings what may be considered the typical darkness of death metal with a vulnerability not always found in death metal that can be seen as a source of inspiration in overcoming difficulties in life. This is a primary reason I consider Crypta one of my favorite current death metal bands.
The musical talent on display by each member is stunning. Drummer Luana Dametto equally stunned me with her precision along with also making me want to get back to practicing drums regularly. I don’t know if other musicians feel this way, but I always know I particularly enjoy a band live when they make me want to work on my musical abilities after seeing them play out live.
Sometimes people get intimidated when exceptional ability is on display, but I feel safe saying Crypta inspired head banging and moshing as much as they inspired people to work on their music. It is clear Crypta is a hard-working band and they have a great future ahead of them.
Crypta is fast approaching the end of their current tour with the final show set for March 2nd at El Corazon in Seattle with local support including deathCAVE, Lacabra, Colony Drop, and Muñeca. If you’re in one of these last few cities and don’t have a ticket yet, don’t miss out; otherwise, keep an eye on their social media and make sure to see Crypta the next time you can.
I’m grateful to Jessica, Tainá, Fernanda, and Luana for making it back to Los Angeles as well as to Nat at Napalm Records for allowing me the opportunity to document the show.
Crypta remaining US shows:
Feb. 25th Las Vegas, NV
Feb. 27th Sacramento, CA
March 1st Portland, OR
March 2nd Seattle, WA
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Tagged: crypta
