Cruentis is a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band that originated out of Quesnel, British Columbia,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The band began in 2012 with the lineup of Jesse Dean and Tyler DeMerchant. The band was signed with

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

-based label Nosral Recordings until the label's disbandment in 2019.

History

Cruentis began in 2012, between two friends Tyler DeMerchant on Vocals/Bass and Jesse Dean on Vocals/Guitars. The band added on Matt Sargent on Lead Guitars shortly afterward. The band, despite forming in 2012, remained musically silent until 2016. The band then recorded their debut album, ''Cold Stone'', with the title track and "The Blood That Divides" being released as singles prior to the album's release. ''Cold Stone'' was released independently. Following the release of the album, they added Daniel Willsmore on drums, and recorded an EP, ''Dichotomy''. However, following the EP's release, both Sargent and Willsmore seemingly departed from the band, leaving only founding members DeMerchant and Dean left in the band. The band would continue on as a two-piece, as both understood how to perform drums. In 2018, the band would sign with Nosral Recordings, home to bands such as

Symphony of Heaven Symphony of Heaven is a Christian blackened death metal band from Owensville, Indiana, United States. The band began in 2017 as a solo project, but morphed into a full band by 2019, consisting of Logan Thompson (guitars/vocals), David Napier (bass ...

Light Unseen Light Unseen is an American death metal and grindcore band that originated in San Marcos, Texas, United States. The band was founded by local Texas death metal and grindcore veteran Christian "Shun" Marthiljohni of Diminished, Southern Front, and ...

, and

Ascending King Ascending King is an extreme metal band that originated in Midlothian, Texas. History Before forming the project, Aaron Kirby was a member of a metalcore band, called Dryline, from 1999 till 2008. Around this time, Kirby grew in his Christian fa ...

. Following their signing with the label, the band released their sophomore album, ''Alpha & Omega'', with a lyric video for the title track also being released. The album received mixed to good reviews, with several sites giving a review rating of 7 or 8 out of 10. Nosral Recordings has since been disbanded, and Cruentis remains unsigned thus far. In December 2020, Cruentis signed with Hagah Recordings, a subsidiary of Rottweiler Records, joining the roster alongside Mangled Carpenter and Nosral alum INRI Immortal.

Influences and style

The band have claimed several melodic death metal and

influences, including Kalmah,

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

Amon Amarth Amon Amarth () is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and hi ...

, and

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

. However, the band have been compared to Extol, Pantokrator, Not Beneath, At the Gates, World to Ashes, and

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

, with comparisons of progressive metal,

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 met ...

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

, and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

Members

Current *Tyler DeMerchant - Vocals, Rhythm Guitars (2012–present), Lead Guitars (2012, 2017–present) *Jesse Dean - Vocals, Bass (2012–present) Former *Matt Sargent - Lead Guitars (2012-2018) *Daniel Willsmore - Drums (2016-2018) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums *''Cold Stone'' (2016) *''Alpha and Omega'' (2018) *''Alpha and Omega'' (2021; remastered) EPs *''Dichotomy'' (2017) Singles *"Cold Stone" (2015) *"The Blood That Divides" (2015) *"Alpha and Omega" (2017) Compilation appearances *''All Things Christian Extreme Metal Volume 1'' (2016)

References

External links

TwitterCruentis albums
*{{cite web, url=http://www.theantidoteradio.com/episodes/episode-320-outrage-ad-cruentis, title=Episode 320: Outrage AD / Cruentis, website=The Antidote, author=Dave, date=May 3, 2018, accessdate=July 27, 2019 Canadian Christian metal musical groups Canadian black metal musical groups Canadian progressive metal musical groups Canadian heavy metal musical groups Nosral Recordings artists Musical groups established in 2012 2012 establishments in British Columbia