Cryogenic was an Australian
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
/
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, fe ...
band formed in 1992 in
Wetherill Park, a suburb of
Sydney,
Australia.
History
Early
The band originally featured guitarist Steve Essa, bass player Anthony Henning, singer/guitarist Russell Player and drummer Chad Bartosik, who was also a member of another thrash band called Neophobia. Cryogenic's history is linked to that of another Sydney thrash/
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, fe ...
band called Mortality, that was formed around the same time by guitarist Darren Jenkins, bass player Luke Ford and vocalist Darren Maloney. Mortality released three demos and toured with
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thras ...
before Jenkins was replaced by Craig Figl and original drummer Rick Fuda by Steve Pell, previously of a late-80s metal band known as Kilswitch. Mortality's activity stalled due to a long delay in the release of their debut album ''Structure''. While it was eventually released in early 1997, dispute about musical direction saw Mortality disband six months later.
Demo
Cryogenic released its first demo in 1995. However Bartosik left before the band could capitalise on its success on the local Sydney metal scene. Temporary drummer Grahame Goode from Neophobia played with the band on a key support date with
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
thrash band Channel Zero but without a permanent drummer Cryogenic was on the verge of splitting up. Late in the year, Mortality's ex-guitarist Jenkins joined the band as drummer, enabling them to support
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of ...
in mid-1996 before beginning work on a debut album, ''Suspended Animation'' in early 1997. At the same time, the band deliberately cultivated a following amongst the "
Westy" headbangers of Sydney's western suburbs. In a further link to Jenkins' former band, in the aftermath to the disbanding of Mortality, Player was then replaced by that band's vocalist Darren Maloney, who re-recorded the album's vocal parts just prior to release.
Late 1990s
Cryogenic appeared with
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, '' Heavy as a Really Heavy Thin ...
and then
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their l ...
in late 1997; this began a string of tours and opening slots for the band that included a tour with
Entombed and shows in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
, England and Germany to promote ''Suspended Animation''. This was followed by an Australian tour with
Slayer.
In November 1998 the band appeared at
Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain was Australia's largest heavy metal music festival. The event was held in Canberra annually, usually towards the end of the year, and featured Australian bands almost exclusively. The festival was established in November 1 ...
for the first time. They would go on to play twice more at Australia's largest heavy metal music festival.
In 1999 Cryogenic played at the Sydney
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of ea ...
and late in the year released their second album, ''ego-noria''. 2000 featured heavy touring around Australia including the Big Day Out once again. After a third Big Day Out appearance in 2001 Cryogenic went off the road for much of the year, ostensibly to work on another album. However, in October it was announced that Maloney had been replaced by Steve Simmons, formerly with
Canberra nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...
band
Henry's Anger
Henry's Anger was a Canberra-based heavy metal band, active in the 1990s. Their second album, ''Personality Test'', was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album
They supported many acts such as Deftones, Mr Bungle, Suicidal Tendenc ...
. Plans were then made for the band to relocate to the United States with tentative plans made for shows in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
. However, Simmons was injured in a car accident and was forced to leave the band.
In The Name Of
The remainder of Cryogenic then based themselves in Los Angeles and re-launched itself under the name of In The Name Of after recruiting vocalist Ryan David. That band broke up in early 2005, with Jenkins returning to Australia. He now works as a producer and sound engineer. Maloney, Ford and Pell reformed Mortality in late 2005 with guitarist Andrew Lilley, a former member of Psi.Kore, Infernal Method and Atomizer. The band played a single comeback show in Sydney in August 2006, with no plans to continue further at the time. Mortality were reported to have begun writing and rehearsing once more as of mid-2007, but no new material has surfaced to date.
Discography
Video releases
''Cold Cuts '97 (VHS) 1997''
References
External links
Cryogenic Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cryogenic
Musical groups established in 1992
New South Wales musical groups
Australian thrash metal musical groups
Musical groups disestablished in 2001
Musical quartets
Australian heavy metal musical groups