Northants act Krysthla talk new album and Bloodstock festival show

The five-piece recently released the first track from their third LP Worldwide Negative, titled Zero Sum Game.

Speaking about their latest single, guitarist Neil Hudson said: “We wanted something that was a real snapshot of a band as a whole on this record.

“It’s an extremely aggressive and very fast affair with one of the best breakdowns you’ll hear.”

Bassist Carl Davis added: “A couple of tracks will come out before the album and it wasn’t a simple choice which to go with first.

“The obvious one, which could have been a single, isn’t the one we’ve chosen.

“I think Worldwide Negative is more indicative of what to expect from the rest of the album.”

Davis and Hudson are joined in Krysthla by singer Adi Mayes, guitarist Noel Davis and drummer Liam Turland.

The band released their full length debut A War Of Souls And Desires in 2015 and its successor Peace In Our Time in 2017. Krysthla’s combine extreme, technical and progressive metal.

The new LP was recorded and produced in Hudson’s studio Initiate Audio and Media in Wellingborough.

Talking about the new LP, Hudson said: “There's a lot more peaks and troughs on this record in terms of texture and light and shade.

“This one has a lot more of a leap between super heavy and 'wow, they went there', aspects.

“We naturally found our way there with some of the parts in some of the songs.

“I've had some of these ideas kicking around for a long time and they surfaced at exactly the right time.

“It's been a very long road to get to the point where the songs are starting to germinate in a more natural way.

“We’re always trying to expand the horizon of what we’re doing and that’s definitely happening on this record which makes me more excited for number four.”

Hudson and Davis explained the band added about a year to this album cycle, following the departure of former drummer Wayne Minney who stepped down through injury at the end of 2017.

Following Minney’s departure, they recruited Liam Turland from the band From Eden To Exile.

Davis said: “Liam came in and has been perfect, we’d had our eye on him for a while we were looking for a replacement for Wayne.”

Krysthla will open the second day at the Bloodstock festival in Derbyshire on August 9, a stage which will that day host the likes of Cancer Bats, Code Orange, Cradle Of Filth, Anthrax and Parkway Drive.

Corby’s Raging Speedhorn are also second on the bill on the Friday on the festival’s Sophie Lancaster Stage which Krysthla played in 2016.

“My reaction was every expletive under the sun followed by a very quick message to everyone in the band,” says Davis when it had the message asking the band to play.

“It’s like everything in music, if you're good enough people look at you but you need that bit of luck as well.

“There was a brief crossing of paths of our vocalist and one of the guys from Bloodstock at another show, they were just at a gig together, they had a chat about what we were doing and the album – not realising they were probably sounding us out.

“We sent some of the demos over and then about 48 hours later, I got a text asking if we wanted to open the main stage. It was like, ‘where do we sign’!”

Hudson adds: “It’s a wicked line up, some of our personal favourites are playing.

“Having been to Bloodstock as a fan, to step out on that stage where the likes of Judas Priest have played before is a huge deal. To be trusted with the opportunity is incredible.”

Aside from their forthcoming new album and this summer’s Bloodstock date, Krysthla have a run of shows linked up across the UK in September and expected to also be touring their new album.

For more details, visit www.krysthla.co.uk