Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. Are you happy with the final release?
On the 17th of May 2017 we unleashed our debute release: a short and intense mini-album with five tracks clocking in at just over 13 minutes in total. It is an independent release, without any record label to back us, and we did almost everything ourselves. We did go to a studio to get some help with the tracking, as it can be a pain to play and handle the recording at the same time, but we mixed and mastered the release ourselves, as well as created all graphics (except for the logotype), took the photos and designed the layout. We then submitted everything for professional pressing and printing. With all this taken into consideration, we are very happy with the result. At least to us, the release does not look nor sound like a completely amateur production.

How would you describe the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
Our music can be described as thrashy death metal with some various metal influences. The songs are for the most part short and intense, hard and heavy but not to any extremes. Mostly straightforward stuff, but we like to think that we have our own style that is fairly unique. The tempo is generally high, but with a lot of variation, some blasting and some d-beat, growled vocals, and some short solos thrown in for good measure.

Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from recording/producing the material?
The tracks were recorded at Bloodshed Studios in Linneryd, Sweden. It is a small studio run by Jimmy Lundqvist, otherwise known as the guitar player, songwriter and general mastermind of Entrails, a Swedish death metal band that should not need any further presentation by now. The studio is also the rehearsal space of Entrails. The recording was done in about three days. It was in the middle of summer so it was super hot and we could only work for 5-6 hours per day, otherwise it would probably have taken even less time. But the recording process went smoothly, so there really isn't much to tell.

What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
The topics of the lyrics generally deal with violence, war, death and misanthropy, the dark sides of humanity. You know, the usual metal stuff. The cover artwork isn't really linked to the songs, but more to the band name and the cryogenics concept that comes with it. The band name wasn't chosen until after the recording was already completed, so this concept will be explored and developed further on future releases.
The first track, Worm Patrol, is a short and fast thrashy song about a security guard who is very violent and just completely empty inside. A simple and somewhat bizarre personal portrait. This is followed by a mid-tempo breather called Incendiary, an abstract story of war from the perspective of an infantry soldier on a hopeless mission. The third song, Feed Her to the Flames, is basically a classic thrash song but with some obvious death metal elements. It is a brief attempt to explore the mind of a killer with a leaning towards arson. Track four, A Congregation Infernal, has a bit of a punky feel to it, with a groovy d-beat chorus, and it is our tribute to the new school of old school death metal. A salute to the bands that picked up the torch and revitalised the genre. The closing track, Death Fumes, is actually the first song we ever wrote. It is a short, fast and simple piece about a person who gets intoxicated by inhaling the scent of death inside a tomb.

What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
We are trying to get our name out there, find some opportunities for nice live shows, and perhaps get in contact with a record label that is interested in backing us and releasing a full-length album. We are constantly writing new songs and already have a few tunes completed and ready for recording.

Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
The mini-album is released only on CD for now, pressed in 525 copies. It is also available for streaming and download through all the usual online services like Itunes, Spotify etc. There might be a vinyl version in the future since that is what we prefer ourselves and what most music fans seem to be looking for as well, but vinyl is much more expensive to press and CD is a more suitable format for promotional purposes so we opted to begin that way.

Where and how will you promote this new release?
As the release is completely independent, we are doing all promotion ourselves. We are sending copies out for review to various metal magazines, printed and digital, and trying to use all channels that we can possibly find. We have a Facebook page, a profile on Metal Archives and on Discogs, a Youtube channel with some lyrics videos and a rehearsal video, we are active in some Facebook groups, and also trying to connect with distros that are interested in spreading our CD.

Where can we order it from?
The CD can be ordered from our web store, www.cryoshockswe.com, where you can also find t-shirts and other merchandise at reasonable prices.

May 2017