“With the rise of technological advancements like AI, the ‘futuristic concepts’ we explore in our music are slowly turning into reality” – Interview with Cryptosis

The Dutch progressive death metal band Cryptosis has just released their second full-length album, ‘Celestial Death’, on March 7th. Chaoszine caught up with the band’s vocalist-guitarist Laurens Houvast on the eve of the album’s release, and we got answers regarding the album’s themes, touring plans, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the future.

Greetings, Cryptosis! How has your year started and who shall be answering to our questions?

Laurens Houvast: Hey! This is Laurens from the Dutch extreme metal band Cryptosis. Our year started out working hard on all the promo around the new album ‘Celestial Death’. We have been working very hard to do all the interviews, record all the videoclips, organising everything with Century Media Records and so on.

Your new album “Celestial Death” is just about to be released. What can fans expect
from the album?

Laurens Houvast: People that already know the band have probably heard our debut album ‘Bionic Swarm’. On this album we just wanted to go as wild and crazy as possible. Literally over the top and to the max on every level. In terms of technicality, speed, tightness, concept, the full package basically. For the new album ‘Celestial Death’ we took a step back and gave more thought to how you actually write good songs. We used a lot more melody, less riffs and a more cohesive sound to put everything together. All of us listen to a totally different style of music. As always we have mixed those influences to forge our own sound and identity that makes Cryptosis sound like us.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the new album and the themes you
explored in the songwriting?

Laurens Houvast: We draw inspiration from many sources, many which are unconsciously used in our songwriting processes. First of all, we all listen to metal of course, but aside from that there is a difference between all band members and what other genres are enjoyed as well. Marco is more into heavy metal, thrash metal, hardrock and death metal, whereas Frank is more into avantgarde, atmospheric, black metal and electronic music. I’m more into progressive, black metal, technical music.

Already at the time of writing our debut album Bionic Swarm, we were deeply inspired by the Netflix series Black Mirror. Its dystopian themes and atmosphere really put us on a different path, on which we stayed during the writing of ‘Celestial Death’. The way the show explores the darker side of technology and its impact on society made us question not just the future, but also how technology shapes our everyday lives in ways we often take for granted. It pushed us to think differently about the world around us and how innovation and technology can blur the line between progress and dehumanization. That perspective became a driving force behind the album’s lyrical themes, where we dive into a future where humanity and technology become inseparable, but at what cost?

You’ve already released few songs from “Celestial Death”. What has the feedback been so far? Do You generally read what people write about you or do you try to ignore stuff like that?

Laurens Houvast: Yes, we released 3 singles so far. ‘Faceless Matter’ was released first, then ‘Reign of Infinite’ and the latest one released was ‘Static Horizon’. So far all singles got a very positive response from friends, fans and media. We are always interested in what people actually think about our music, but always try to keep to ourselves in terms of what music we want to make.

What’s your creative process like in the studio? Do you write most of the material beforehand, or is there a lot of experimentation during recording?

Laurens Houvast: We would love to just go into the studio every day and just jam and experiment until we are done for the day, but unfortunately studios are super expensive. Therefore we take the time to make sure everything is 100% ready before we enter the studio. Although we enter well prepared with the thought of recording it just like we intended, there are always certain ideas that we try out in the studio at the time of recording. For example, the drum parts and fills were written with a drum computer, but altered at some spots. Marco has put in his own energy and groove to make the parts even better. The same goes for guitar, bass, mellotron, synths and especially vocals. We experimented a lot with vocals, both with lyrics and different sounds. It was a lot of fun.

Technology and AI are quite big themes in your music. How do you personally feel about the rapid advancements in AI and their potential impact on the music industry?

Laurens Houvast: With the rise of technological advancements like AI, the ‘futuristic concepts’ we explore in our music are slowly turning into reality. We’ve entered a new world that is still in the process of defining itself, and that brings both excitement and concern. On one hand, AI opens up new creative possibilities. Whether it’s generating sounds that were once unimaginable or pushing the boundaries of composition. But on the other hand, there’s a growing fear of losing human authenticity. Music is an emotional and personal expression, and while AI can mimic patterns, it lacks the human experience behind those feelings. For us, these advancements align closely with the themes of ‘Celestial Death’. A world where humanity and technology are intertwined, but identity risks being lost in the process. We’re fascinated by this tension and want our music to reflect that struggle. At the end of the day, we believe that no machine can replace the raw passion and chaos that comes from being human. But maybe the definition of ‘human’ will be different 10 or 20 years from now.

What does your tour calendar look like at the moment?

Laurens Houvast: Our schedule is filling up quickly, and it looks like we’re in for quite a journey this year! It all kicks off with our album release show in our hometown of Enschede, The Netherlands, on March 29th. In May and June, we’ll hit the road for a three-week European tour with Onslaught, celebrating 40 years of ‘Power from Hell’ with a special set. July marks another milestone as we head to Latin America for the first time. Doing a two-week tour alongside Danish thrash legends Artillery. In October, we’ll make our debut in Mexico with an exclusive 2025 performance. Then, in November, we’re planning a Scandinavian tour through Denmark and Sweden. Apart from what is already confirmed and planned, it would be an honor to bring ‘Celestial Death’ to a stage in Poland (which will be the first Polish Cryptosis show when that happens!)

The band made a major transformation from Distillator to Cryptosis few years ago. What led to that evolution, and how did it impact your songwriting and creative vision?

Laurens Houvast: We were teenagers when we founded Distillator and took our first steps onto the stage haha. The transition from Distillator to Cryptosis was a natural evolution for us as musicians. After releasing ‘Summoning the Malicious’ in 2017, we felt that we had creativity explored everything we wanted within the traditional thrash metal framework. While we still love thrash, we started to feel restricted by its boundaries and wanted to challenge ourselves musically.

Between 2017 and 2021, we experimented a lot, incorporating more progressive, symphonic, and extreme elements into our sound. You can hear that on the split EP we released with our friends in ‘Space Chaser’ from Berlin. We were inspired by black and death metal atmospheres, orchestral arrangements, and futuristic themes, which ultimately shaped Cryptosis. The name change wasn’t just a rebrand; it symbolized our artistic rebirth, allowing us to push beyond the well-trodden paths of thrash and explore new sonic dimensions.
Looking back, the transformation was essential. We didn’t grow tired of thrash metal itself, but rather of repeating ourselves. With Cryptosis, we’ve created a sound that to us feels fresh, challenging, and true to our artistic vision. It’s also where we are allowed to fully put our own identity into the music, as the three of us listen to a wide spectrum of different styles. When we write together, it allows us to have our own unique fingerprint instead of simply trying to play music inspired by the bands we love.

What does the future hold for Cryptosis? Any plans you can share yet or are you going to concentrate on the upcoming album first?

Laurens Houvast: Since I already mentioned our tour schedule, I can only add that we will slowly start to continue songwriting for album #3 and that we will put the bar even higher than with ‘Celestial Death’.

Thank you for your time! Would you like to add something for Chaoszine’s readers?

Laurens Houvast: Many thanks again for having us for the magazine! If you like black, death, thrash, prog or symphonic metal make sure to listen to our new album. It’s available for free on all the popular streaming services and check our website/social media to see if we’re coming to a place near you!