Cruentis

Did You Know?

• The band has claimed influences including Kalmah, Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, and Opeth.
• Cruentis has been compared to Extol, Pantokrator, Not Beneath, At the Gates, World to Ashes, and In Flames.
• Comparisons have also been made to progressive metal, nu metal, doom metal, and hardcore punk.

History

Cruentis was formed in 2012 by friends Tyler DeMerchant and Jesse Dean, who shared vocal duties while DeMerchant played bass and Dean played guitar. Matt Sargent soon joined on lead guitar. The band did not release any music until 2016, when they put out their debut album Cold Stone independently, having released the title track and "The Blood That Divides" as singles beforehand. After the album, Daniel Willsmore came in on drums, and the group recorded the EP Dichotomy.

Following that release, both Sargent and Willsmore left the band, leaving only DeMerchant and Dean. The two continued as a duo, each capable of handling drum parts. In 2018, Cruentis signed with Nosral Recordings, whose roster included Symphony of Heaven, Light Unseen, and Ascending King. Their second album, Alpha & Omega, followed, with a lyric video for the title track.

Reviews were mixed to positive, with several outlets giving it a 7 or 8 out of 10. After Nosral Recordings dissolved, the band was without a label. In December 2020, Cruentis signed with Hagah Recordings, a subsidiary of Rottweiler Records, alongside Mangled Carpenter and former Nosral artist INRI Immortal.