Crisis

Just over a decade ago, Crisis began it's hard road to today by cutting their teeth in the often-hostile New York City club scene, where lead guitarist Afzaal and former drummer Fred Waring were placed in contact with one of the most original vocalists metal has ever heard, Karyn Crisis.
Quickly hammering out a name for itself with the album 8 Convulsions on Too Damn Hype Records, the band Crisis made the jump from the independent scene to pioneering label Metal Blade Records. Without sacrificing one iota of their integrity, 1996 held the release of the album Deathshead Extermination, which was quickly followed by 1997's The Hollowing, and carved out a niche for Crisis in a scene bereft of much originality. With music that drew from such diverse influences as Black Sabbath, Cocteau Twins, and The Swans, but keeping metal at their core, Crisis were one of the few bands both fans and critics could call true innovators. Refusing to bend to trends or to sell out for the easy money, Crisis established themselves as a band that would be taken on it's own terms or none at all.
In 2004, Crisis returned from hiatus with the goal to reassume their place in metal, and did just that with the Billy Anderson-produced Like Sheep Led To Slaughter. Avante-metal label The End Records was the perfect and only logical home for the new Crisis disc. The guitar soundscapes of Afzaal and new rhythm guitarist Jwyanza Hobson joined the rumbling bass of Gia Chaun Wang to craft instantly-memorable metal, and atop it all, the cathartic shriek and growl of Karyn's otherwordly vocals. At once ethereal and bestial, Crisis did more than step back into the fickle hard music scene without missing a beat. Fans and critics alike continue to hail Like Sheep Led To Slaughter as one of 2004's top releases, and the video for 'Blood Burden' was featured on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball. The debut album, 8 Convulsions was reissued in June of 2004 via Martyr Music Group and Crisis' own Children Of Rage label imprint. Tours with Soulfly in the early fall and Kittie mere months later, as part of the Metal Movement Tour, thrust Crisis from the underground into the consciousness of mainstream metal, winning them fans at every stop.
The phrase "No rest for the wicked." could not be more apt as Crisis looks ahead to the year 2005. The new video for 'Waking The Dead' was produced by Casey Schwochow and Beth Amber, and is expected to enjoy rotation on Headbanger's Ball. The lineup now fortified by Australian native Ryan Ball on drums, Crisis plans to play over 250 shows in 2005, cementing their return to a scene starved for truly original music. The spring season of 2005 will also see the release of the first ever DVD project from the band.
Aptly-titled, Signatures Of Survival: 1993-2004 is a gritty look into the music and the hearts of Crisis. Filmed by Dominic Garza, a longtime Crisis fan himself, this DVD shows the engines that have kept this band running for over a decade, with no polish or fluff. This being said, Signatures Of Survival: 1993-2004 is packed with material for the true fan. Included are interviews with the band, all the Crisis videos to date, and a talk with Billy Anderson, producer of Like Sheep Led To Slaughter. Also, fans will be able to go behind-the-scenes with a special Making Of Like Sheep Led To Slaughter feature, as well as witness the band at their beginning, with footage of the first ever Crisis gig, filmed in 1993 at the legendary CBGB's in New York City. Not content to simply release a four-camera live show recorded with a Hollywood budget, the band has intentionally held back from releasing any long-form videos until now, in order to give the fans who have stuck with Crisis through the years a real glimpse into the band, from it's inception to the current incarnation. Raw and rare footage mixes with unrelenting music to show Crisis in an honest look at what's it's taken to get them to where they are. Signatures Of Survival: 1993-2004 is sure to appease long-time fans, yet still gives newcomers the perfect introduction to one of the underground's true stalwarts, Crisis.
Crisis has come to where they are today by remaining honest with themselves, credible with their fans, and undeniably working-class in their ethic. If the past years are any indication, the forward momentum this band continues to generate will keep them at the forefront of modern metal for 2005 and well beyond.