Cryptopsy
Cryptopsy. We all know and love Cryptopsy for the crushing swell of metallion death that is delivered with every album. At the moment they're on the road with the Devastation On The Nation tour which wraps up June 11th.
After that there will be a short pit stop in Clisson, France for opening day of every metalheads dream: Hellfest. Also playing that day will be Belphegor, Behemoth, Ministry, Marduk, Obituary, Rancid, In Flames, and about a million others.
Immediately following Hellfest is the kickoff for None So Live MMXVII Europe Part I, celebrating 21 years since the release of one of the most iconic albums in recent music history. With such an intense schedule we were pretty happy to be able to catch up with Chris Donaldson for a short chat.
DK: Yo! Thank you for finding some time to chat. How's the tour going?
CD: Good. Very busy. Touring and producing bands is extremely demanding. Just finished
mixing one from the West, Divinity.
DK: I heard! I've already put in a pre-order. I guess the tour schedule is pretty mental,
where are you at the moment?
CD: Austin Texas. We are not to complain since we have our bus and our crew.
DK: Much better than being crammed in a van with everything! Are there many more stops before
heading back home?
CD: This tour, (Devastation On The Nation,) ends June 11, but the next one, (None So Live
MMXVII Europe Part I,) starts June 15.
DK: Holy hell! That's quite the schedule. Will you be coming out to the west coast at all?
CD: Seattle is the closest we go.
DK: I'm looking at the tour schedule right now. You're going to see some wild places! I hope you
get a chance to take it in.
So, you're the head engineer at The Grid. How long have you been there?
CD: I started the Grid 3 years ago but I've been engineering and mixing bands since 1999. Before
that I was engineering under the name Garage studio. I've done quite a lot of albums throughout
the years. I'm always looking for new music to mix.
DK:
Have
you got a favourite? Is there a band you've worked with whose music
you still listen to?
CD: A lot! I still jam Beyond Creation, The Agonist, Beneath The Massacre, Ingested...
DK: Cool! A little off-topic: Can you recommend a great poutine place? (Asking for a friend. haha)
CD: In Montreal? I would recommend Poutineville or La Banquise.
DK: Haha! I'll pass that along. I just looked up Ingested on YouTube. Right out of the gate it's face
-peeling brutality. I'm loving this!
Is there anyone you're particularly looking forward to sharing a stage with this summer? I see
that Emperor, Behemoth, and Kreator are all going to be at Hellfest...
CD: Yeah. It sucks about Behemoth. I wanted to catch their set, but they are playing at the same
time as us.
DK: Brutal. Looking at the tour schedule there's a bit of a break in July. Aside from catching up on
sleep and recovering, are you planning anything for that time? Is there anything you'd like to
see or do in Europe?
CD: In July I have 6 albums to mix, including the next Ingested so I'll be quite busy. After the 2nd
run in Europe my wife and son will come join me and we'll spend some time at the Grand-
Parents in Belgium. That should be fun.
DK: Whoa, That is a huge workload. I was just going to ask if there's a little piece of home that
you'd like to have with you, but that answers that. Haha What an amazing way to end a tour. Is
this the first time your son will be joining you like this?
CD: Yeah, he is 5 months. Haha
Before that it was a bit too soon.
DK: Those will be some fantastic family photos for when he is older.
What is your rig set-up? You have an amazing sound.
CD: Haha Thank you. Were you at the show last night?
My rig is extremely simple. I am using a Kemper profiling amp and it's a profile I did at my
studio. I play with an Ibanez Iron Label and d'addario strings. We also brought with us on tour a
Midas M32 console. Plus our sound man, Alex. He is fantastic.
DK: I wish! I'm stuck in BC. Alex Skolnick also uses Kemper. They've got a great, warm sound.
Between Kemper and 5150 mkII metal has been redefined.
Have you guys been working with the same sound tech for a long time?
CD: It's actually the first time but definitely not the last. We've got a good vibe with him.
DK: Chemistry is everything! Cheers to a long time with Alex. I should get outta here for a bit and
let you get back to what your doing.
Is there anything you'd like to add before we wrap up?
CD: Tell bands that I want to mix their albums! Haha!
CD: A lot! I still jam Beyond Creation, The Agonist, Beneath The Massacre, Ingested...
DK: Cool! A little off-topic: Can you recommend a great poutine place? (Asking for a friend. haha)
CD: In Montreal? I would recommend Poutineville or La Banquise.
DK: Haha! I'll pass that along. I just looked up Ingested on YouTube. Right out of the gate it's face
-peeling brutality. I'm loving this!
Is there anyone you're particularly looking forward to sharing a stage with this summer? I see
that Emperor, Behemoth, and Kreator are all going to be at Hellfest...
CD: Yeah. It sucks about Behemoth. I wanted to catch their set, but they are playing at the same
time as us.
DK: Brutal. Looking at the tour schedule there's a bit of a break in July. Aside from catching up on
sleep and recovering, are you planning anything for that time? Is there anything you'd like to
see or do in Europe?
CD: In July I have 6 albums to mix, including the next Ingested so I'll be quite busy. After the 2nd
run in Europe my wife and son will come join me and we'll spend some time at the Grand-
Parents in Belgium. That should be fun.
DK: Whoa, That is a huge workload. I was just going to ask if there's a little piece of home that
you'd like to have with you, but that answers that. Haha What an amazing way to end a tour. Is
this the first time your son will be joining you like this?
CD: Yeah, he is 5 months. Haha
Before that it was a bit too soon.
DK: Those will be some fantastic family photos for when he is older.
What is your rig set-up? You have an amazing sound.
CD: Haha Thank you. Were you at the show last night?
My rig is extremely simple. I am using a Kemper profiling amp and it's a profile I did at my
studio. I play with an Ibanez Iron Label and d'addario strings. We also brought with us on tour a
Midas M32 console. Plus our sound man, Alex. He is fantastic.
DK: I wish! I'm stuck in BC. Alex Skolnick also uses Kemper. They've got a great, warm sound.
Between Kemper and 5150 mkII metal has been redefined.
Have you guys been working with the same sound tech for a long time?
CD: It's actually the first time but definitely not the last. We've got a good vibe with him.
DK: Chemistry is everything! Cheers to a long time with Alex. I should get outta here for a bit and
let you get back to what your doing.
Is there anything you'd like to add before we wrap up?
CD: Tell bands that I want to mix their albums! Haha!
DK:
Perfect! Thank you for chatting.
CD: Thank you.
For complete tour information click here, or follow Cryptopsy on Facebook.
For tour dates, complete line-up, and ticket info for Devastation On The Nation click here.
To get in touch with Chris at The Grid to give your album a crushing finishing touch click here.
Written by Dink Kickin @ Malabolgia Creative.
CD: Thank you.
For complete tour information click here, or follow Cryptopsy on Facebook.
For tour dates, complete line-up, and ticket info for Devastation On The Nation click here.
To get in touch with Chris at The Grid to give your album a crushing finishing touch click here.
Written by Dink Kickin @ Malabolgia Creative.
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