Applying a Newtonian mindset to music, former
These Arms Are Snakes frontman Steve Snere, weary of the guitar-based rock world, formed electronic trio
Crypts with programmer Bryce Brown and visual artist Nick Bartoletti to blast an opposite but equally powerful reaction to the 2010s rock revival. Eschewing the post-hardcore sensibilities of
These Arms Are Snakes, Snere and company instead take inspiration from '80s industrial and goth sounds, combining harsh aggression and cold gloom with dramatic, visceral vocals. In place of a six-string are Brown's home-modified synths and drum machines that build an ominous, all-consuming atmosphere of thick noise, subsonic bass, and glitching beats. Produced by Erik Blood (
Shabazz Palaces),
Crypts unearths the creeping paranoia of
Alan Howarth-style synth gunk ("Completely Fucked"), the droning desperation of early-'80s
Cure ("Territories"), and the nihilistic intensity of late-'80s
Ministry ("Fancy"), only letting up with moments of skittering, Southern hip-hop-influenced rhythms ("Daft").
Crypts deal in musical entropy, and their sound is primed for the ultimate end-of-the-world party. ~ Chrysta Cherrie