By Crystal Harrell
Coachella Valley metal has clawed and screamed its way out of the shadows of the desert music scene—inching further and further into the periphery of local audiences and taking to the stage with a roar too striking and eminent to ignore. Cryptic Funeral has joined the ranks of this thunderous boom—with sets that electrify audiences in an anthemic frenzy of thrash and death metal, caught in grooving riffs that underscore the grit and bite of the genre. The band consists of Christian Torres (Vocals/Lyrics), Henry Murillo (Guitar/Songwriter), Tim “Crash” Puckett (Drums/Recording/Mixing/ Mastering) and Kurt Schawacker (Bass/Graphics). Coachella Valley Weekly caught up with Cryptic Funeral during their winter show schedule as they prepare for a festively frightening Friday the 13th show.
CV Weekly: You guys have gained a lot of traction in the last year. When was Cryptic Funeral first established?
Henry: Christian and I started the band during the pandemic in 2020. We both have the same taste in music and were writing music together. Because COVID was around, we had time to envision what we wanted the sound to be, and since there aren’t a lot of bands that play this style of music out here, it’s pretty exciting to bring a new sound to the Valley. With the music we play, you’d need to travel out of the desert to hear this genre. The metal scene out here is a bit different
CV Weekly: And why did you decide to name your band Cryptic Funeral?
Christian: I actually had a list of band names that weren’t already taken and I would present them to Henry and our old drummer Brian Perales (drummer for Instigator) and we all agreed that Cryptic Funeral matched our band the best. The hardest part was finding a name that didn’t already exist. I think it fits our sound perfectly though.
CV Weekly: It definitely gives off a dark vibe. Outside of the band, how long have you been making music?
Henry: Since 2019. During the pandemic is when we really started writing so many tracks that we have yet to touch, so we have a lot of material. It’s a matter of when we can get to them so we can put out a full length album.
Tim: I’ve been making music since 1997. I’m old.
Kurt: I grew up in a musical family, but started writing my own tunes around 2010.
CV Weekly: And with your different music backgrounds, what is your songwriting process like as a band?
Henry: I usually listen to bands I take inspiration from on my way home, and I infuse it with thrash mostly. I record my guitars, and also have a program to input drums in so the band can actually hear what I have envisioned and just leave it up to them on how they want to approach their parts.
Tim: Henry creates demo tracks for our material. Christian will also lay down some scratch vocals. We review during practice and edit the arrangements and parts as we see fit. Once learned, we incorporate them into our practice set list. We were blown away when Kurt joined, representing our low end. Besides being an integral component of our journey, he’s so much more—graphic designing, video production. Not only an outstanding bass player, but a great friend and teammate.
CV Weekly: Sounds like you collaborate very well together. How would you describe your music to those who haven’t heard you perform?
Christian: It’s a combination of thrash, black metal, and death metal. Extreme music with a catchy groove.
CV Weekly: That’s a promising juxtaposition. Are there any musical inspirations you have for that sound?
Tim: Death, Dying Fetus, Deeds of Flesh, Cryptopsy, Morbid Angel, Nile, Vile.
Henry: Behemoth, Belphegor, Hate, Dark Funeral
Christian: Early Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Black Sabbath
Kurt: I grew up on Megadeth and Children of Bodom, but really enjoy injecting more modern punchy, aggressive low end from modern acts like Brand of Sacrifice and Darko US.
CV Weekly: Those are some big names. What are your favorite songs to play in front of crowds?
Tim: Definitely “Fetido,” our Spanish language song.
Kurt: I’d say our song, “Life Beyond the Grave”. We’ve gotten a great reaction out of the crowd each time we’ve played it.
CV Weekly: And what would be your dream venue to perform at, even outside of the desert?
Tim: Slim’s in San Francisco.
Kurt: The Wiltern, Los Angeles.
CV Weekly: Since coming together as a band, what has been the most memorable experience of Cryptic Funeral?
Tim: The never-ending support and professionalism within our team. We’re like family. We can do anything together. Whether joking around, or serious/uncomfortable conversations, we actively listen and extend unconditional love to each other.
CV Weekly: That strong foundation definitely serves you well. What’s next for the band?
Henry: We have a show at the Coachella Valley Brewing Company on December 13th. We’re excited to share the room with local heavy acts such as Instigator and Brain Vat. It’s gonna be a killer time, so be there!
CV Weekly: Right on, and do you have any long-term future goals as a band?
Kurt: I’d love to see Cryptic Funeral continue to carve out a place for extreme music here in the Valley and expand out into the wider Southern California region when the opportunity arises. This is a highly dedicated, hard-working group of guys and with the right combination of enthusiasm and not taking ourselves too seriously, I know people will enjoy what we have to offer.
CV Weekly: Awesome, and where can people find your music?
Kurt: You can find Cryptic Funeral on all major streaming platforms, but by far the best place to experience the music is at one of our shows. We sound solid and our fans are our favorite part of what we do.
CV Weekly: Thank you, guys, for taking the time to tell your story. Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
Henry: We just have so much material that we cant wait to play for you.
Christian: I encourage any metal heads reading this to go out and start a band. Hopefully we can get a much-needed metal scene going in this Valley.
Tim: Everything clicks with us. This amazing team has personally made me a better musician/entertainer. We want to inspire and empower anyone who gives a listen. The brotherhood in this group is the most positive, by far, I’ve ever witnessed in every project since 1997. Conversations and pre-production has started for our upcoming LP. While we don’t have a release date yet, we are working on it. It’ll be a blast.
