CRYPTODIRA @ AMITYVILLE MUSIC HALL
Photos by Casma
Musical genres can cover such a broad sound and style. Subcategories have subcategories but could all still have one genre they are branching off from. Metal is no different; original metal, heavy metal, death metal, gothic metal, cobalt, and magnesium. Each of them has its own approach, but neither is lacking in contribution to the genre they hail from. Now sometimes categories can be ridiculous, and just looking at an artist as just that starting genre, can help you to see just how interesting and talented and, in the best way, just how different and unique they really are. You can see them for themselves. This is what you would have experienced if you were in my shoes at the Cryptodira show on February 10th.
Cryptodira is no new start-up band trying to make a name for themselves. If you’re in the metal scene on Long Island or know someone who's a fan, then you probably know them. The show was a send-off for the band as they get ready to leave for a tour in Europe for the next few months. For those who don’t know, the band consists of Scott Acquavella on guitar, Jeremy Lewis on bass, Mike Monaco also on guitar (with each contributing vocals), and Matthew Taibi on drums. When it comes down to who the band is, no they’re not a pro crypto-themed metal band. Straight from their website, they tell you what they're all about: Interwoven materials of intersectionality theory on oppression they’re, “unorthodox approach to progressive music defines the very essence of Cryptodira as a group that has something important to say and an interesting way of saying it.” The ending of that sentence very much epitomizes this band.
The longest amount of time I’ve spent driving on a highway led me to the front door of the Amityville Music Hall. It's a small venue where music like this lives and breathes. The intimacy it can bring regardless of the genre on the stage is unparalleled. I never heard the band before, I went in on no expectations but definitely a preconceived bias of what I may be in store for, whether it be performance or sound. But the one thing I wasn’t prepared for, which I think perfectly encapsulates this band's unique sound is, duality.
While I walked around the venue from the bar to the smoking section outside, every few minutes I would hear someone talking about the band. This would be wondering when they were going on or when the last time was when they had seen them live. It was clear that it wasn’t just a venue filled with people who just so happened to be there getting drinks or meeting up with friends. There was hype for this band and anticipation to match as well. When they finally took the stage, my first expectation was already shattered. They didn’t look like the typical type of “metal” band that I've experienced. They weren’t in all black or silver, trying to do their best attempt at being edgy or seem intense, and no one had long hair that would soon be flowing with the typical head banging you're bound to experience. This was the first example of duality because the sounds that came following their introduction were not what you would think you'd hear if you had no clue who they were.
Appearance doesn't mean they are guaranteed to hear a certain sound, in my time at concerts it usually means it could go down any avenue rather than a predetermined one. The aggressive hard chords and scathing riffs start the show with the song “Dante’s Inspiration” and it's a perfect metaphor itself for the duality of this group's distinct sounds. Intense-loud- aggressive music that is suddenly cut into sounds of melodies, harmonies, and almost a sense of grounding. Sometimes changing into a more pop-punk type of sound. Making you almost forget exactly what you were listening to in the first place. Then suddenly it can change back once more, almost on a dime, to the opposite extreme you were once living in. It is almost as comparable as cuts in the movie Inception when on one side the most intense action is taking place with lives on the line, cutting to a scene of all the cast asleep and relaxed in serenity, then cut abruptly back to the chaotic situation in their dreams.
This sound immediately drew me in. From “The Blame for Being Alive” to “Medusa Misgendered” each song left me more impressed with the way this band was unabashedly themselves. As a music lover, it's something I can’t help but respect and appreciate. The fact that it works is just the icing on the metaphorical metal-made cake. It's not just one thing the band does that helps it work, it’s everything. The way that Scott, Jeremy, and Mike are able to lay down these melodies and aggression are impressive, and how each of them has vocal range that is used exactly when it's needed. Matthew on the drums stands out with the ability to match these sounds and maintain the right tempo stands out to someone like me who, personally, gravitates more towards drums.
With every song, I started to find myself wondering what type of different sound would show up. What would be the next genre incorporated into this song? Would it turn into almost a Linkin Park type of vibe, like I got in my favorite on the setlist, on “A Tendency to Fall” I wasn’t alone in being impressed with the transitions and incorporations from the band. Being in the crowd I could audibly hear the occasional “oh nah that's crazy” or “Ohhh” like they’re Young M.A. When something like this is done right, it's undeniable.
By the end of the show, I thought I had heard every different type of incorporation that you could get. Seeing everybody else be impressed with what they were hearing added another level to the show for me. These were people who were already fans of theirs and they had heard these songs more than I did. Scott on main vocals for the majority of songs also had a great rapport with the fans. Engaging the fans and going back and forth joking with them seemed easy for him. He was comfortable and this wasn't the first time he'd done this. The instances where he joked around with people in the crowd asking to hear songs from when they were 13 didn’t seem annoying, nor was the response forced. All-in-all, the band seemed like they belonged on that stage and, just like with their music, they were fully themselves.
Bias and expectations usually are something to avoid when it comes to taking in any form of entertainment. It doesn't matter if it's music or the 50th Marvel movie in a year. The more you shed and try to avoid them, the better the results. Sometimes these are more unavoidable than we can care to admit. But the ability of that song, actor, or show to quell those notions speaks so much to them, the quality and the talent being exuded. Cryptodira definitely was able to do that for me and left me walking to my car more focused on how impressed I was, than any amount of anxiety with getting back to driving on that highway.
SETLIST:
Dante’s Inspiration
In Hell as on Earth
The Blame for Being Alive
Hyperwealth
Something Other Than Sacrifice
A Tendency to Fall
Medusa Misgendered
What Can’t Be Taken Back