"We want to be able to play with literally anyone; darkwave, industrial, hardcore, metal, power violence, etc., as long as it’s loud as fuck and the people playing it are giving it their all," says Anthony Crupi, vocalist/guitarist of Bringers. The Oakland-based punk outfit first came to my attention thanks to photographer Allix Johnson. A few weeks back, Allix linked me to Bringers' Bandcamp page and I was immediately impressed with what I heard, so I wanted to help spread the word about the group and their forthcoming debut album, Death Preparations.
Tony gave me the lowdown on their origin story: "Bringers started in Oakland in 2015 when I moved in with [guitarist] Clark [Harney]. We’ve been playing music together since we were 16, we’re from the same town. We wrote Death Preparations with just two guitars. We then sent the demos to Clark’s brother, Garrett, who programmed and wrote the drums, and here we are 2 1/2 years later about to drop the record."
I hear everything from Killing Joke to Integrity to Helmet in Bringers' sonic spirit, and when I let Tony know that, he let me know I wasn't crazy. "Killing Joke is definitely an influence we wear heavily on our sleeves, but we are just fans of music. We listen to everything from Tibetan throat singing to John Lee Hooker to Integrity to Skinny Puppy, anything and everything in between. When we write, that’s all we do, and since we write our songs with just guitar, it’s no telling how the song is going to turn out until Garrett brings the fucking heat. From there comes the lyrics and the melodies."
I was curious on the subject matter and inspiration behind Bringers' upcoming album. "There was a lot of death in my life in 2015 when we started writing and at the time I had to ask myself, 'Would I be happy with my life if I died right now?' and the answer was no. I drank too much and treated everyone in my life horribly. I treated myself horribly and Bringers became the way I could redeem and rebuild my life, essentially preparing to leave some semblance of a positive legacy.
Death Preparations will consist of 9 songs nine songs and was recorded with Eric Urbach at Lodasia Sound and by Paul Miner at Buzzbomb Studios. Michael Bingham (Spiritual Cramp) will be providing the cover art. With the album coming out on Zoon Recordings within the coming weeks, I asked Tony about Bringers' plans for the rest of the year and beyond. "Clark and I will be relocating to LA and trying to pursue the band as full-time as possible, with our completed lineup. Our second record is written and we’re demoing that shit right now. We want to tour and play as much as physically possible for the foreseeable future; we want to connect with as many artists, fans, musicians, photographers, writers, whatever, as possible. Other than the people in our lives music is the only thing we fucking care about and we think people are going to realize that."
Follow Bringers on Bandcamp and Instagram.
Tagged: bringers, new artist focus
