Music Mondays is ready to head bang to an amazing thrash metal band named Krystos!
The band formed in 2010 after Billy Thornock (Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars) and Dan Johnston (Rhythm & Lead Guitars, Vocals) recorded the first album called Walk Through the Inferno. The band was originally formed by high school friends Billy, Dan, and Andrew (former bass player). The current line up is with Adam Brimhall (Drums, Percussion) and Nick Lugo (Bass Guitar, Vocals) joining the band soon after they met Dan and Billy at the Slayer/Testament/Megadeth show in Boise.
Billy found his love of music in the first grade when his father showed him Metallica’s Black Album! “That lead me on the path to heavier bands and made me pick up the guitar in my teenage years and form a metal band” Billy said. Nick used to leave high school early to play shows, in Boise, with his former band, Threshold. “Those guys and I were helped along greatly by people like Justin Cantrell and Hansi Hilmer. I quickly became friends with other bands in the area. When my other band fizzled out, my friendship with Krystos made my transition as their bassist fairly smooth” Nick added. From a young age Dan has always been drawn to music. He did not, however, become serious until he took a guitar class in high school. The other students showed him metal bands and he was hooked. “After hearing Metallica, Testament, and many others, I decided to dedicate myself to the guitar. Upon going to a Megadeth concert and skipping out on my college classes at the time, I decided to quit and pursue music without looking back” Dan concluded. Following a long tradition of musicians in his family Adam found himself choosing a different instrument! “I was attracted to drums and percussion because I felt like it was a very interesting, challenging, and under-rated instrument that required an amount of skill most people didn't appreciate” Adam said.
The band’s name Krystos is the Greek translation for Christ. They use this name as it is a haunting distortion of the name Christ. Much like their unique name the band strives hard to blend the influences of trash, power, black and death metal. On top of the metal influences Krystos brings a ton of underlying tones you may not expect from a metal band. “We are influenced by the blues, classical, baroque, stoner rock, folk, and even stuff you probably wouldn’t think metalheads would like. When we write a song, we try to compose it creatively and intelligently, hoping that our own powers and the influence of the great musicians that came before us will come together to make something we find fulfilling” the band concluded.
Krystos spends a lot of time making sure their music speaks to who they are as people and as a band. They pull from their current lives and what each band member may be going through. “We also try to put those emotions, memories, and experiences into music within the frame of the themes and stories that have rung true and stuck with us over time” the band added.
The band has faced some hardships in the past, one they talked about was being stranded in Phoenix back in July. Unfortunately, due to being stranded they had to cancel the rest of their tour. The band has had a fantastic triumph recently! Krystos is heading to the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle 2020 in Seattle! The bands that continue to win rounds will eventually play in Wacken, Germany, at the world’s largest metal Festival! We truly hope the band wins this as they deserve to be heard internationally!
If you are looking for a band that brings intense breakdowns, exciting stage presence and high-energy music Krystos is your band! Altering seeing them kick ass on the Revolution Concert House & Event Center Stage we here at MusicMondays208 were completely blown away! This band truly kicks ass and deserves a listen to! If you hear that this band is playing, make sure you drop what you’re doing to see them. Your ears and soul will thank you.