Band Origins and Formation

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Crusm was formed in late 2017 in North London. Initially, we struggled to decide what to do with the remnants of our previous project, The Growling Stones, but eventually, we decided to create a new grindcore crust band, which we named "Crusm".

The talented Polish artist Anna Helena Szymborska designed our logo and created three album covers for us.

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We quickly assembled a lineup that included Tornado Mike, a drummer from the Czech Republic, and Stephen King from the UK on guitar.

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Our Original Lineup:

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- Hellishdust - Vocals
- Terefere - Bass
- Stephen King - Guitars
- Tornado Mike - Drums

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Recording the First Demo

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After just a few months of rehearsals, we entered New Rose Studios in Camden, with Pete Lyons from Antisect as our producer. In just one day, we completed the recording of our first demo, "Stench of Decompose". Despite having only 30 minutes to lay down the vocals, I managed to finish in time, much to Pete's amazement.

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The demo was mixed and mastered by my good friend Krzysztof Drabikowski from the original Батюшка.

 

With some help from Danek of Alcocholic Butcher Zine, who provided me with a list of around 30 zines, I wrote and sent handwritten letters along with our demo for reviews. Our efforts paid off as we even got a review in "Necroscope Zine", and we received some positive feedback, leading to a few interviews.

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One of the more memorable connections was with Krzysztof from Zakład Karny Nysa, who sent me a four-page handwritten letter. Krzysztof, who was serving a 25-year sentence for murder, was running a music label and magazine from behind bars. He has since been released, but that's a different story. He was instrumental in helping us and introduced me to Paweł from Kira. His support meant the world to us.

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Lineup Changes and First Gig

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Unfortunately, two weeks before our first gig, we lost our drummer Tornado Mike due to an accident that left him unable to play (he's since returned to the Czech Republic and is doing well). Not long after, we also lost Stephen King due to personal issues that prevented him from continuing with the band.

 

Fortunately, Chris, who worked at the studio where we rehearsed, stepped in as our new drummer. After just six rehearsals, we played our first gig at T Chances in Tottenham, a well-known punk venue.

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Later Developments

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Lineup:

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- Hellishdust - Vocals
- Terefere - Bass
- R - Guitars
- Chris - Drums
 

After the gig, R from Skullthrone joined the band, and we continued recording. We contributed a song to a compilation to support the sick daughter of Jawor from The Dead Goats, which was released on CD (link https://thedreadfulsymphoniescompilation.bandcamp.com/album/the-dreadful-symphonies-compilation).
 

Our final gig with Steve on guitar was recorded at the Unicorn Pub and released as "Alive at Unicorn". We later released the "Twist to Grind" EP. Unfortunately, Chris left the band, and we couldn't find a replacement, leading to Terefere's departure as well.
R and I then joined forces in his main band, Skullthrone, leaving Crusm Undead...