Crusher have been around since 2002, long enough to know what they want from a thrash metal record. With Uprising, the German band keep one foot in old-school thrash and the other in a cleaner, more modern sound, without turning the songs into something polished for the sake of it.
Röbin Geiß (vocals) describes Crusher as a band built on melody, heaviness and choruses that stay in your head, with space for both Bay Area thrash and the classic Teutonic side of the genre. That comes through on Uprising, an album that moves from faster attacks to mid-tempo grooves and more melodic parts without feeling like a collection of unrelated songs.
The title also speaks to where the band are now. For Crusher, Uprising is tied to movement, persistence and the idea of pushing forward, both as a band and as something listeners can take into their own lives.
In this interview, Röbin talks about the album, the band’s long road since the early demo years, “The Call Of The Unseen”, and what it is like trying to move forward as a live band in a crowded European metal scene.
“Nothing is worse than monotony in metal.”
Uprising feels like an album that fully lives up to its title. What does that word mean to Crusher at this point in the band’s story?
Well, what all of this signifies for us as a band could mean many things. There is a great deal that can be read into the word, both for us and for the listener who chooses to relate it to their own life. The first track after the intro features the words “Rise Up” in its chorus. From the very start, those words were intended to serve, for both Crusher and the listener, as a battle cry: a call to push forward, or to ascend. In any case, a call to keep moving.
Even though the rest of the lyrics, which are at times certainly laced with irony, recount the band’s journey, the chorus stands independently. It can be applied to one’s own life in a wide variety of situations. Given this context, naming the album Uprising was the next logical step. We saw something similar on our previous releases, Unleashed and Redemption. The specific word, or a play on it, did appear in various tracks, yet the actual song titles themselves were different.
The album moves between fast thrash attacks, mid-tempo grooves, catchy choruses and more melodic moments. How do you balance that variety while still keeping the sound unmistakably Crusher?
That’s a good question. The Crusher sound really crystallised over those many early years, shaped by a handful of demos, allowing us the freedom to experiment with various musical styles in our songwriting without immediately losing our core identity. Naturally, this gives us an incredibly wide creative scope, one we actively try to use to bring plenty of variety to the mix. Nothing is worse than monotony in metal. Well, okay, maybe AI-generated songs and lip-syncing.
“Comparing that very first demo to Uprising would make your eyes pop out in sheer astonishment.”
You have been active since 2002, with different chapters, line-ups and releases along the way. Looking back, what do you feel changed the most between the early demo years and Uprising?
Everything! I mean, Michael and I, having been there from the very beginning, have evolved musically, but naturally as people as well, and that evolution is precisely what finds expression in our creativity. Everyone who subsequently joined the band brought new and different skills to the table, and naturally, this process of growth took place within each of them individually, too.
If anyone happens to still be in possession of one of our early demos, they could certainly confirm this once they hear the direct comparison. Listening from the old material through to the new, the changes are palpable and easy to trace. However, comparing that very first demo to Uprising would make your eyes pop out in sheer astonishment. People with weak hearts, consider yourselves warned [he laughs].
“The Call Of The Unseen” found a life outside the usual metal scene, from football to Wacken-related videos. Did that experience affect how you think about writing songs with an anthemic or live-ready quality?
No, not really. After all, when writing songs, it creates a rather cohesive picture to aim for material that appeals to you personally while also considering what might work well in a live setting.
It would not do us much good if we were absolutely thrilled with the result, only to have the fans frown and turn away in disapproval. Ultimately, we want to create the kind of music that we think is awesome, and naturally, we know exactly what we enjoy hearing ourselves when we attend a live show.
“The Call…” was actually designed even less with live performance in mind. Its primary purpose was to serve as an entrance anthem, hence the roughly two-minute instrumental intro before the actual first verse kicks in. The fact that this song has nevertheless become one of the highlights of our live shows is, of course, all the better.
After opening for bands like HammerFall, Grave Digger, Tankard and Pro-Pain, and organising your own M.I.B. festival, what are Crusher’s next ambitions as a live band?
It’s really not that simple. There are a few agencies out there that dominate the major market, constantly and ubiquitously booking bands like Powerwolf, Hammerking, Battle Beast and Dominum.
The masses, for some reason, seem to have a thing for painted faces, regardless of whether they have heard the riff a thousand times elsewhere. The simpler, the better. That way, you do not actually have to engage deeply with the music, but can instead join in singing the chorus and partying along from the very first listen.
Consequently, we are not “interesting” enough for agencies of that calibre. Add to that the established bands from the 80s and 90s, all of whom are still actively touring, and the live market becomes a very crowded place.
We are therefore reliant on the occasional stroke of luck, such as being booked for the Metal Franconia Festival in 2025, or getting the opportunity to perform as a support act for an established band.
Aside from that, there are, of course, various underground events where we make occasional appearances. As for whether M.I.B. was a one-off occurrence or something that will be repeated, only time will tell. One thing is certain, though: it was a resounding success!
Stream/Buy Uprising on Bandcamp.
