MANSFIELD – If you ask drummer Ryan Arter about his favorite genre of music, it’s a three-way tie between classical, jazz, and … death metal.
If you ask the rest of Arter’s bandmates in the local metal band Krymzon, they all pretty much agree. We’re talking old school classical music, including Beethoven and Vivaldi.
“I actually have a pre-set station in my car for classical music,” said lead guitarist Joey VanDine.
“In minor tonalities, a lot of classical music is a death-type sound,” added bassist Adam Anderson. “It’s a heavier type of sound if you really listen to it.”
It may seem surprising, but bucking against stereotypes has always been the style of Krymzon since the band’s inception five years ago. And it’s worked; the group is getting ready to release its second album on June 11.
The idea of starting a band first began with Arter and VanDine through a friend of a friend, and an invitation to get together and play a couple cover songs. Arter was skeptical at first, especially because of the age difference – Arter will be 41 this fall, and VanDine just celebrated his 25th birthday.
But Arter was pleasantly surprised.
“We knew it was going to be rusty at first, but we jammed a few more times and it was fun,” Arter said. “So we kept plugging away at it, and it kept getting better and better.”
When the band was in need of a vocalist, Arter reached out to Ron Wise, his friend of more than 20 years. Wise approached joining the band with the same skepticism, but it didn’t take much convincing before he was on board.
The three men played together for about four years before the final piece of the puzzle came with Adam Anderson, who joined as bassist a little more than a year ago. The chemistry was immediate.
“There are certain people you jam with and you’re like yeah, this is right,” said VanDine.
All four band members agree – patience, tolerance and love is what makes the group work. Anderson described Krymzon as a “dysfunctional family.”
“We know just how far to push each other,” VanDine joked.
“We love and hate each other at the same time,” Arter added with a laugh. “But more seriously, we all have the same desire to go as far as we possibly can with it. We all have a very strong passion for our instruments, for music in general and for the group as a whole.”
Most importantly, Krymzon also shares the same passion for the genre – the energy, the high-demanding picking patterns on guitar, or the extreme speed and sound on drums. Arter cited being picked on and subsequently becoming an angry teenager as the draw to metal music. VanDine noted sometimes the inverse is true – when you like metal, you get picked on.
“You’re an outcast when you’re metal, and I’m proud of that,” VanDine. “I love it. I like being able to walk in a place and you don’t hear metal all the time, because it’s my music.”
Beyond just musicianship, metal is a lifestyle that all members of Krymzon have adopted and embraced. And in some cases, trained for.
“Metal is like an extreme sport,” Wise said. “The more extreme you can make it, it’s more fulfilling and you get more back from it. But I do try to keep myself in shape because when you’re on stage running around banging your head, it’ll gas you real quick.”
As lead vocalist, Wise does have to condition to perform the band’s typical schedule of three or four times a month. Krymzon travels across Ohio, and tries not to burn out the Mansfield area too quickly. The band’s sights are set higher.
“I really believe we’re the hardest working band in this area,” Anderson said. “We’re constantly pounding the pavement trying to get out of this town to play new venues.”
That hard work has paid off as the band prepares to release its second album, “Scriptures Of Disgust.” Full of original songs, the album is an amalgam of all styles of metal as Krymzon makes a point to be as versatile as possible while staying true to the metal spirit.
“I love our first album, but in comparison you can definitely tell we’re growing and we’re a more mature band,” VanDine said.
“And this dude, he’s 46 and the album we’re about to release is the best I’ve ever heard him,” he added, turning to Wise. “I remember sitting in the studio listening to it and thinking, my god.”
“I do the best I can for being an old guy,” Wise said sheepishly.
The title “Scriptures Of Disgust” comes from the lyrical content of the album, which explores what Krymzon feels are double standards and manipulations when it comes to religion and government. This is not to say that the album is anti-religion.
“We’re not against religion – other than the (crap) in it, it’s a good thing,” VanDine said. “People find it and love it, and it’s awesome.”
“We try to promulgate the hypocrisies in a lot of religion,” Arter said. “The lyrics are an exposé of the misconceptions involving religion. There are a lot of fallacies that are almost too hard to believe. But none of our lyrics are an attack on God.”
“Scriptures Of Disgust” will be officially presented at a CD release party at Belchers House Of Rock, located at 185 Orange St. in Mansfield. The party starts at 9 p.m. on June 11.
Both of Krymzon’s albums were funded completely out of the band’s pocket, professionally made with booklets featuring high-quality photos and printed lyrics. It’s the band’s way of fighting against a world where online streaming and downloading music has become the norm.
“We like it old-fashioned,” VanDine said.
“When I go to shows I buy stuff from other bands to support them,” Wise said. “If people don’t go out and support the local music scene, it’s going to die. And people don’t think it’s a big deal, but to lose a music scene is like losing an ecosystem.”
In the future, Krymzon has set a goal to play outside of the state as the group continues to evolve. Album No. 3 is in the works, too.
“Whether in the studio or on the stage, we’re one unit now,” VanDine said. “Now it’s a growing process.”
