Sunday, 4 August 2019

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Krysthla (Paul H)

One of the bands I’m most looking forward to seeing at BOA this year are Northamptonshire’s finest, Krysthla. Formed from previous extreme metal outfits, not only are they one of the most impressive UK bands in the extreme scene now, they are also damn fine chaps. Here’s what they had to say.

Paul: You’ve been around for a few years now and are what I would consider one of the top UK bands on the circuit today. In terms of your progression, how do you feel about your profile and the overall progress of the band?

Krysthla: Yeah really pleased but there's always room to get bigger. We are always aiming higher, hence the new album so we are looking forward to seeing where that takes us.

Paul: You are an extremely hard-working band. Whilst everyone obviously shares the passion, are there times when, at the end of a long week, you need a bit of cajoling?

Krysthla: No, not really. We work hard, practice hard and we do all enjoy ourselves. This really is all we've ever wanted to do and to get somewhere in this industry you must have tunnel vision. We thrive on the challenge.

Paul: Worldwide Negative is about to be unleashed on the public. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing it and it is astonishingly good. Many congratulations. Tell me about the conception of the album and how it developed.

Krysthla: The last few years have been spent watching people in general become increasingly despondent, right from the average person on the street to Hollywood A listers. There's something very wrong with the way we are living our lives and it was that that we wanted to address.

Paul: The album focuses on some of the more challenging aspects of the world. It certainly appears a little messed up. Do all the band share similar views about the subject matter? Have there been any interesting debates?

Krysthla: Yeah, broadly speaking the subject matter of the album is something that affects us all and literally everyone is part of it. We try not to preach right or wrong but more highlight the issues that need to be discussed.

Paul: You’ve had some impressive reviews so far and we still have a couple of weeks before the album lands. How much attention do you take of the reviews?

Krysthla: We do read every review and we find it interesting to see which reviewers pick out which songs for their favourites. The results so far have been great, so hopefully there's more to come.

Paul: I know you use social media, as you have to these days. What are your views on the changing way in which the world now communicates?

Krysthla: It's where you must be now. You need to roll with the times although we do find it sad that in general there is less human face to face contact than ever before. We shouldn't forget that first and foremost we are social animals with a pack mentality.

Paul: Bloodstock 2019. Main Stage. Saturday morning. It’s going to be epic. Tell me about the invitation and what the band response was like.

Krysthla: It was a very nice call to receive and naturally we accepted immediately. It’s a huge honour to be entrusted to open the main stage and we are going to grasp it with both hands.

Paul: I know you guys are BOA veterans, both with your former bands (Gutworm and Deadeye), as punters and of course your Sophie Stage show in 2016. What does the festival mean to you?

Krysthla: We see it as one of the leading heavy metal festivals in the whole of Europe, and yeah, we always go to hang out even if we aren't playing. It’s an absolute must in the festival calendar. 

Paul: To those who haven’t seen the might of Krysthla live, what can they expect at BOA?

Krysthla: Absolute carnage. We fully intend to lay down the heaviest set on the bill. 

Paul: And after the festival, you’ve got the album coming out the following week. Plenty of gigs in the pipeline too. What else can we expect from you over the next few months?

Krysthla: Yeah loads of UK dates, a short run in Scotland. Uprising at the Leicester O2 will be a highlight, as will HRH metal at Birmingham O2. Keep an eye on the website for full details as more dates are to be added.

Massive thanks to the guys for answering these questions. Be prepared for Saturday morning at BOA where the earth will move, and the sky will be cracked. This should be immense.

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