Kryptos Head to the North East This Week

Bengaluru metallers Kryptos – (from left) Ganesh Krishnaswamy, Anthony Hoover, Rohit Chaturvedi and Nolan Lewis. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

If there’s one thing Bengaluru metallers Kryptos have proved in their 19-year-long career, it’s that they can fit on pretty much any lineup. While it’s their brand of fist-pumping heavy metal that’s earned them favor across Europe ”“ where they will make their annual sojourn in a few months, including a return to Germany’s Wacken Open Air ”“ back home, Kryptos have often shared the stage with everyone from extreme metal bands to thrash acts. Says frontman Nolan Lewis, “We have no issues playing on any kind of lineup, really.”

The band, who released their latest album Burn Up the Night last year, are finally getting a chance to play beyond the usual south Indian cities, with two shows in the North East this weekend. While one of them is a college show at the National Law University and Judicial Academy in Guwahati on April 23rd, they’re grouped with technical metal and death metal bands for a special showcase in Imphal on April 22nd, as part of a show called Sanctuary of Incarnate. The event’s coordinator Kedy ”˜Ken’ Cox says, “There is not a single way to get sponsors or anything in very limited time, so we group up with enthusiast metalheads and we chip in money ourselves. We will be doing this as a DIY event. People can expect some stuff that they haven’t seen.”

The lineup at Sanctuary of Incarnate also includes three local support bands ”“ death metallers Yuthak Wah, “sci-fi” tech-death metallers Beneath Irruption and grindcore band Genocide Disorder. By Cox’s own standards, “This is going to be one of the most ball-busting publicity stunts we will be pulling off.”

Kryptos, for their part, are happy to return to the North East after at least a few years. “We’re told there are about 800 to a 1,000 people expected to attend, which is awesome. I think the extreme metal stuff always pulls a lot of crowd in the North East. We’re going to play the entire album (Burn Up the Night), some from Coils of Apollyon and maybe a couple of covers.”

Sanctuary of Incarnate takes place on April 22nd at Yaiskul Range Ground, Imhpal. Event details here.