Karyn Crisis' Gospel Of The Witches - Biography
Biography
KARYN CRISIS is a name worthy of more praise and attention. While select circles of people know and appreciate her prior vocals with the critically-acclaimed Crisis from 1993-2006 many are still naive to her influence and impact. This demure girl raged harder than many men slugging it out with impactful live performances at hardcore and metal shows screaming oftentimes like a demon, others singing like an angel. She led the way and has become an influence for female-fronted extreme bands. And then she disappeared? until now.
Karyn returns with her stellar new project, KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES, and a fabulous new album, "Salem's Wounds", on Century Media Records (March 2015). The genesis of Gospel of the Witches began unwittingly in February 2009 when Karyn Crisis met Ephel Duath guitarist Davide Tiso in Tuscany, Italy. They lived and played music for a month in a small haunted house in the countryside, in the middle of an olive field. Aradia, the ghost of an ancient Italian witch, made her presence adamantly clear and began to teach Karyn the Old Ways on a daily basis. Spending time together, Karyn and Davide grew inseparable and decided to return together to the U.S. to form a band. Once settled in the Bay Area, they would spend the next few years working hard to find the right musical expression as a result of all the internal changes brought on by Aradia becoming part of their lives: magic, healing, ancient history, the natural laws and connecting to Spirit in all things. Davide channeled the songs that would eventually become the debut of KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES. As Karyn understood and realized the full visual, conceptual, sonic and magical purpose to the album, and set upon writing lyrics and inviting other talented musicians to carry out this offering. 13 songs of the finest Occult Metal covering a lot of ground and moods from evil heaviness and gothic romanticism and ambient passages produced by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist) at The Basement Recording in North Carolina. Joining Karyn Crisis on vocals and invocations and Davide Tiso on guitar and bass were Charlie Schmid (Vaura) on drums, and Ross Dolan (Immolation) and Mike Hill (Tombs) on backing vocals. Live they are joined by Bob Vigna (Immolation) on guitars.
To shed more light on this truly renaissance artist and her background, Karyn was raised just outside Chicago and began playing classical music as a child, exposed to experimental music through college radio and getting involved in the then burgeoning industrial WaxTrax! movement; even working at the eponymous record store. Moving to New York as a college student she became part of the NY Hardcore scene singing for the band Crisis who became a staple band at CBGBs, even booking sold-out shows featuring out-of-town bands like Sam Black Church and Soilent Green. The band's first release was on Too Damn Hype! Records in 1993, then Metal Blade quickly rushed to grab the promising outfit and released the next two Crisis albums. All were critically hailed cult albums. Karyn fronted the group -- a petite, young, pretty girl with long, blond dreads that hung to the floor. Her performances were frenetic and legendary as she was one of the first, if not the first female to use death vocals and demonic grunts alongside angelic clean singing. The band performed on many metal and hardcore tours eventually relocating to Los Angeles and aiming to clean up their sound for an anticipated major label deal. Unfortunately that didn't happen for the band and they returned to a heavier, more traditional final album on The End Records in 2004 before parting ways. Crisis featured members that later went on to perform with Shadows Fall, Soulfly, Stonesour, Crowbar, and Downset. In the interim Karyn stayed in LA, gave up music and began painting and leathercrafting, making a name for herself in those areas. In 2009 she moved to San Francisco and married Davide Tiso of Ephel Duath, making an appearance on the band's final EP and album. It was in San Francisco that Karyn began teaching people how to use their psychic and mediumistic abilities, and became an in-demand lecturer and teacher, earning her a prominent reputation among the well-established
Bay Area spiritual community. Connecting with people in this way made Karyn realize it was time to reconnect with her fans who have continually emailed her all these years, refusing to forget her voice, asking her to make new music. She felt the call, and decided to devote her new music to empowering others through all she's learned from the Witches old. The music Davide and Karyn had been working on for the past 5 years took a new atmosphere and focus, and became her solo album/new band, KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES.
Source: http://www.gospelofthewitches.com/contact.html
Karyn returns with her stellar new project, KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES, and a fabulous new album, "Salem's Wounds", on Century Media Records (March 2015). The genesis of Gospel of the Witches began unwittingly in February 2009 when Karyn Crisis met Ephel Duath guitarist Davide Tiso in Tuscany, Italy. They lived and played music for a month in a small haunted house in the countryside, in the middle of an olive field. Aradia, the ghost of an ancient Italian witch, made her presence adamantly clear and began to teach Karyn the Old Ways on a daily basis. Spending time together, Karyn and Davide grew inseparable and decided to return together to the U.S. to form a band. Once settled in the Bay Area, they would spend the next few years working hard to find the right musical expression as a result of all the internal changes brought on by Aradia becoming part of their lives: magic, healing, ancient history, the natural laws and connecting to Spirit in all things. Davide channeled the songs that would eventually become the debut of KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES. As Karyn understood and realized the full visual, conceptual, sonic and magical purpose to the album, and set upon writing lyrics and inviting other talented musicians to carry out this offering. 13 songs of the finest Occult Metal covering a lot of ground and moods from evil heaviness and gothic romanticism and ambient passages produced by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist) at The Basement Recording in North Carolina. Joining Karyn Crisis on vocals and invocations and Davide Tiso on guitar and bass were Charlie Schmid (Vaura) on drums, and Ross Dolan (Immolation) and Mike Hill (Tombs) on backing vocals. Live they are joined by Bob Vigna (Immolation) on guitars.
To shed more light on this truly renaissance artist and her background, Karyn was raised just outside Chicago and began playing classical music as a child, exposed to experimental music through college radio and getting involved in the then burgeoning industrial WaxTrax! movement; even working at the eponymous record store. Moving to New York as a college student she became part of the NY Hardcore scene singing for the band Crisis who became a staple band at CBGBs, even booking sold-out shows featuring out-of-town bands like Sam Black Church and Soilent Green. The band's first release was on Too Damn Hype! Records in 1993, then Metal Blade quickly rushed to grab the promising outfit and released the next two Crisis albums. All were critically hailed cult albums. Karyn fronted the group -- a petite, young, pretty girl with long, blond dreads that hung to the floor. Her performances were frenetic and legendary as she was one of the first, if not the first female to use death vocals and demonic grunts alongside angelic clean singing. The band performed on many metal and hardcore tours eventually relocating to Los Angeles and aiming to clean up their sound for an anticipated major label deal. Unfortunately that didn't happen for the band and they returned to a heavier, more traditional final album on The End Records in 2004 before parting ways. Crisis featured members that later went on to perform with Shadows Fall, Soulfly, Stonesour, Crowbar, and Downset. In the interim Karyn stayed in LA, gave up music and began painting and leathercrafting, making a name for herself in those areas. In 2009 she moved to San Francisco and married Davide Tiso of Ephel Duath, making an appearance on the band's final EP and album. It was in San Francisco that Karyn began teaching people how to use their psychic and mediumistic abilities, and became an in-demand lecturer and teacher, earning her a prominent reputation among the well-established
Bay Area spiritual community. Connecting with people in this way made Karyn realize it was time to reconnect with her fans who have continually emailed her all these years, refusing to forget her voice, asking her to make new music. She felt the call, and decided to devote her new music to empowering others through all she's learned from the Witches old. The music Davide and Karyn had been working on for the past 5 years took a new atmosphere and focus, and became her solo album/new band, KARYN CRISIS' GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES.
Source: http://www.gospelofthewitches.com/contact.html