Answers provided by André-Jean-Henri Mertens

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

I try to make long story short. The band name has no particular meaning but over the years you could think of some sort of riddle like the origin of the name from the book and film „The Da Vinci Code“. When you turn on a Cryptex record you don’t know what to expect. So lets put it that way, expect the unexpecting.
The Cryptex was founded in 2008 by our frontman Simon Moskon. In 2009 we released our fist EP called „Even Nature will be thrilled“. In 2010 we signed wait CMM/SAOL in Hanover and released our Debut Album „Good Morning, how did you live“ in 2011. From 2008 to 2014 we played over 200 shows around Europe including European support tours with Pain of Salvation, Threshold and an Arena Support Show with Alice Cooper in Brno, Czech Republic. In 2014. in 2015 we released our 2nd album „Madeleine Effect“ and toured with it in Germany and played Metaldays Festival 2016 in Slovenia. In 2017 we played at the great
70.000 Tons of Metal in Miami/Florida/Labadee. We continued writing for our 3rd album and released a couple of EP`s the Rain Shelter Sessions Part I and II in 2017 and 2018. In 2019 we signed a worldwide record deal with SPV/Steamhammer and released our 3rd album „Once Upon a Time“ in April 2020. We could tour it properly cause of the worldwide
covid virus but started with writing extensively for our 4th album „Nimbus“ which is going to be released on the 29th of September 2023.
This year on the 8th of September we have the honour to open the fantastic Prog Power Festival, Atlanta/USA. We celebrate the Release of the new album with a big club show in Hanover, also celebrating our 15th year anniversary as a band. More to come!

Band Members:
Simon Moskon: Lead Vocals, Piano, misc instruments.
André-Jean-Henri Mertens: Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Backing/Partial Lead
Vocals/Misc instruments
David Silesu: Bass, misc instruments
Markus Kleiner: Drums

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

No we aren’t. Simon was born in Salzgitter and formed the band in 2008. So the main base and also the rehearsal space is in Salzgitter. David is from Einbeck and also lives there. Markus is from the region as well and I was born in Dortmund. I moved to Rheinland-Pfalz near Trier in 2008 and studied music from 2013-2018. At the university of music in Hanover
I saw an advert that Cryptex was searching for a new guitarist in 2014 and I applied and luckily got the job. Since 2014 I´m a loyal member to the band. David Silesu joined in 2021 and was originally a roadie, guitar tech and also photographer of the Band, so he worked behind the scenes and got eventually in the first row as a band member, which is
great. Markus Kleiner joined in 2022 and is the youngest member of our band.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Simon is a big fan of „The Beatles“ and „Queen“. As he founded the band and was originally the main composer for the first 2 Cryptex records you hear quite a lot of Beatles and Queen influences in our music. David is a big guitar fan also, and likes Steve Vai and Devin
Townsend but also Prog Rock and Metal Bands. Markus is a full on Punk Rock fan and likes easpecially many German Punk Rock Bands, so that gives another approach for the forthcoming songs we are going to write and also the performance of older stuff. When I joined we became slightly heavier and marched towards that direction more and more. I´m
a die Hard „Iron Maiden“ fan. So since I joined The Cryptex focused also more on the guitar side and we really like Heavy Guitar Riffs as well as melodic guitar playing which you kinda hear also in Maiden of course. I also sing a lot and we added more and more in the „The Cryptex“ sound on the new record „Nimbus“, which I feel very honoured and proud of. I think the combination of Simons and my vocals is quite different and something new, as well as the music we create, cause you can’t compare the sound of ours to any other band out there, I promise.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Since I´m a kid and 7 years old my dream was always to become a musician. So I started working on that since that time. At first I wanted to be a drummer and started playing drums on pillows in my bed room and in the yard where I played on cooking pots. We couldn’t afford a drum kit therefore I thought about possibilities and actually learned to play it while
listening to my favourite music and just play along with it. My father said that I can learn the drums, but at first to learn a proper instrument hehe. He found an old guitar that was thrown in the waste and I started playing since then. I fell in love with guitar and with that old particular guitar, which I still have and would sell for a million. So I followed my path which I knew from a small kid ages one and here I am. Releasing my 4th album with a band I love playing with, I played hundred of gigs around the world. I did win a guitar award as the best young guitarist in Germany in 2011, called the „Robert Johnson Guitar Award“. In 2012 I
toured the USA and Canada with guitar legend Uli Jon Roth. I played with many different bands over the years and studied music (electric guitar/songwriting/producing) in Hanover at the university of music, media and drama from 2013-2018. Since then I make my living just with music, gigging and teaching. I also teach vocals, guitar, bass, drums and songwriting/arranging/producing. I´m also Education Manager for the Modern Music School International and Guitar Department Head and Lecturer of the Professional Program in Guitar, of the Modern Music School International. With The Cryptex I played great shows like 70.000 Tons of Metal, Metaldays Slovenia, Headliner Tours and another highlight for me is that we’re playing at the Prog Power Festival in Atalanta, USA. I also have an Iron Maiden Tribute Band „Ed Hunters“ where we played Shows in Europe, including France, Belgium, UK, Luxembourg and Germany. We played two times in London, at the Cart&Horses. So I just can recommend, always follow your dreams, despite the circumstances. Never, ever, ever give up!

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Puh, I have different playlists. But if I´m honest I hear so many different types of music, not just rock and metal. For instance I had a period when my new relation ship started where the last record of Taylor Swift called „Midnights“ was released. Back in October 2022, I listened to it on repeat. I also like Lana Del Rey and some Indie Stuff like Alt-J. I also like The Weeknd quite a lot, so even modern stuff. Shoot me, I´m still a rock and metal head. Therefore Iron Maiden is always on my playlist and I already saw 4 shows of the current European „The Future Past Tour“ which is again an insane tour of my favourite band of all time. I´m a Die Hard Metal fan so every alternate weeks I´m listening to Maiden. I´m also a big Ghost Fan, first saw them in 2013 supporting Iron Maiden.

Do you sing in the shower?

Who doesn’t ? Hehe, yes I sing in the shower. Besides the car the best place to sing hehe.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We have plenty of plans. At first we are going to release our 3rd single own the 1st of September 2023 of the new album „Nimbus“ called „Devils Casino“. Then well be heading over to the USA and playing the Prog Power Festival Atlanta. On the record release day on the 29th of September 2023, we also celebrating the release with a big club show in Hanover and also celebrating our 15th year anniversary as band, as mentioned above. Afterwords we hope to play as many shows as possible presenting and performing the new album live in as many countries and continents as possible.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

I think I already answered most of the question. But we also released two brand new songs already with 2 music videos. The first was „Cobra“ in April 2023 and the second single was „Fall Down“ which we released in June 2023. The last single of the new record is going to be released just after the release of the album and is the title track of the record
„Nimbus“.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Tough question. I think its not just one venue I’d love to play. In my head comes The Madison Square Garden in New York, Royal Albert Hall in London, Wembley Stadium in London, the national stadium in Chile, River Plate Stadium in Argentina, and I think most importantly the „The Westfalenhalle“ in Dortmund. I was raised in Dortmund and my first ever concert was there and it was the mighty Iron Maiden. So in every kind of thinking the place I would choose first when thinking of my dream gig.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Puh, again very tough to answer. But I think its „Somewhere in time“ by Iron Maiden. I think thats the most listened record I own, so it has to be that one! Next to it comes „Brave new World“ by Iron Maiden and „In Rock“ by Deep Purple.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Sure, who doesn’t ? I´m honest I have some old Pop Stuff when I was very very young, like 5 years old. Backstreet Boys I guess, and some strange compilations. I also have to admit that I listen to some Pop Stuff that isn’t metal at all sometimes, like Harry Styles, some country, some modern stuff. I also really dig Daft Punk and The Weeknd, so for me its
very important to be open minded. But I will always remain a metal head from the heart and the isn’t any genre and lifestyle I’d rather choose, if I’d be at an lonely island.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Wow, I think it would be a great show with some beloved musicians that are unfortunately no longer with us. I think the singer would be no other than Ronnie James Dio, and Freddy Mercury dueting. On guitar it would be Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, Drummer would be John Bonham, Keyboard the late great Jon Lord and on Bass John Entwistle. Of still existing bands it would Iron Maiden as Headliner, with Ac/Dc, Rainbow, Deep Purple with Ritchie Blackmore, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin playing.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

I think the first album I bought was Rock in Rio by Iron Maiden. But it could also be Killers, or Dance of Death or Brave new World. I bought them around the same time and in the same year, so I don’t remember exactly. But yeah I still have them all.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Thank you fall for reading and taking time with us. Support our music, buy the new album „Nimbus“ and come to one of our live shows, hopefully in our town near you and listen as much as you can to „The Cryptex“ cause its food for you. Also Spotiy or the streaming of your choice, every stream or hit is great ! Enjoy Life, Love and Music.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

https://www.cryptexofficialband.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thecryptexband/
https://www.facebook.com/cryptex.band
https://www.youtube.com/@Cryptexchannel
https://www.tiktok.com/@cryptexband
https://www.youtube.com/@PHONOTRAXX
https://www.youtube.com/@spventertainment

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

I´d like to thank you as well for the interview and the great questions, it was a pleasure! To the whole team of Metal Asylum and all the readers out there, thanks for supporting music and bands and not forget to enjoy life, love and music to the fullest. Have a great one !

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum