The initial incarnation of Sceptocrypt emerged in 1992 but took a hiatus in 1999 after putting out a demo and a rehearsal tape. Fast forward to 2022, the group's founder, Malcolm, began collaborating with various musicians, revisiting songs he penned in 2014 and exploring fresh ideas. Thus, Sceptocrypt made its return. Melodija.eu recently caught up with Malcolm for a chat about the band's revival.
What inspired the formation of Sceptocrypt in 1992?
In 1987, I, was turned onto metal at secondary school, and by 88 I was already avidly trying to get my hand on any obscure tape some underground figures (mostly older than me) had. This led to me starting tape trading as well as learning guitar sometime in 1989. Fast forward 1 or 2 years with some riffs under my belt, I started a band with some mates called Cruxicore, but it did not go anywhere, and only bass player Marco and I survived from that line-up. Along the way we merged into a 5-piece and changed to Sceptocrypt.
How did Sceptocrypt aim to differentiate itself in the extreme metal scene of the 1990s?
Vocalist Conrad & I ardently into the 90's underground scene running Rancid Soup zine & radio show, and the rest of the band listening to anything we were raving about, we were always listening to what is fresh in the scene. So in turn we tried to deliver fresh ideas of our own.
Being music scholars, we pushed ourselves to deliver this with the highest form of technique we then mastered. With new members bringing in more ideas, we tried to forge an own sound, merging
extreme metal (at a time where the tag was not yet penned to define bands cross-bordering death, doom, black metal and more) with other non-metal styles, yet not loosing our abrasive edge.
Despite disbanding in 1999, what led to the release of your unreleased CD "!26 Hrs 72 mins...the need to differ" in 2014?
When we disbanded, I moved away from Malta few years later, initially to Germany and later to England. Here I became active with a jazz-world music band EthnaMorte for about a decade, but when that went into hiatus I started Sceptocrypt again. So we released the CD only online to coincide with this rebirth.
Maybe eventually we will also release it on physical CD, who knows?
What prompted the revival of Sceptocrypt in 2022, leading to the release of "The Unwanted Requiem" and "The Wards Outside" in 2023 and 2024 respectively?
Although Sceptocrypt initially resurfaced in 2014, as we could not complete a line-up, we all went our separate ways. But I personally cannot stay away from being musically creative, and in 2022 I finally met a drummer and bassist and got working on more songs.
Although we were planning to release “The Wards Outside” first, “The Unwanted Requiem” came from out of nowhere. Basically I was called to Malta as my mom was unwell, she then passed away, and in my bitter feelings of loss, I borrowed a guitar and booked a studio, and that song was born. As I wanted to release it not far from her passing in Sept 2023, the song was released 2 months later.
Eventually “The Wards Outside” was released in Feb 2024. And this is actually closer to the new direction to expect from us. Although we hold the right to surprise you howsoever.
How does Sceptocrypt describe their new sound, Extreme Music Research?
To quote our own manifesto from our bio -
Extreme – undettered by trying different forms of experimentation, from over-the-top technical riffs to the lack of same in form of time & harmonic changes that flow seamlessly, an extremity measured in the myriad of influences recalled to shape the final aural palette.
Music – in a time when visual media continually compliments the music industry, we aim to present you music that evokes you the more you close your eyes, aiding you to see colours with your ears, where colour has no limit set by your visual spectrum, and thus extreme!
Research – we shall be free to research past effective music templates as we merge them with/as merchants to/for future sounds
Could you kindly provide an introduction to the new band members, offering some insights into each of them?
Sure, we got Dip on bass. He brings to the table a touch of jazz and funk. He also adds a lot of groove to balance my harmonic dissonance. And is a good producer for recording purposes.
Then we got Andrea who brings in electronic sounds & sampling. He is into EBM & industrial, so ensures it all stays abrasive.
I am currently singing, but this is more till we find a decent vocalist ready to front our avant-garde ship. I would prefer that live shows are accompanied by a vocalist completely free to engage with the audience and play with his voice, and myself completely focused on the guitar.
We had a drummer, but now no more, so we are looking for one. Andrea is meanwhile setting some electronic beats to keep the flow going, but wether we introduce this live (in compliment to a drummer) or on record is still to be seen. It is good to have options, but our main aim is to find a drummer, so if anyone is London based reading this, contact us via band@sceptocrypt.com
When and where will Sceptocrypt perform their first live gig in 27 years?
We have been invited to play the 11th anniversary of Renaissance Alt Music Fest on 26th May 2024.
This has been running yearly in London for a while now, but is the 1st time it will be open air.
The bands' line-up is very diverse – have a look at https://www.facebook.com/events/1071516140643831
As we still have no drummer, we have decided to do something we never done before – to present Sceptocrypt in a completely acoustic format. Probably this will be the 1st and only time we do so (our intention is to find a drummer), so be there!
Where can interested individuals find more information about Sceptocrypt's biography, interviews, reviews, and contact details?
At www.sceptocrypt.com, which includes links to all our socials, going by the handle of @sceptocrypt.
Any famous last words?
Yes. Firstly, thanks to your readers for the time to read what we have to say. And to you for crafting the questions and giving us space on Melodija.eu.
All our music from the 90s to now, can be heard at www.sceptocrypt.com/lyrics-songs, and if anyone reading runs a mag you can also review any of the works.
In closing, Sceptocrypt would welcome more interviews, also questioning us about our lyrics, into which a lot of work is put in. You can contact us via press@sceptocrypt.com
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