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| Crystal Eyes > Albums & Lyrics |
The Beginning
Crystal Eyes was formed in 1992 by singer/guitarist Mikael Dahl and guitarist Niclas Karlsson. Mikael and Niclas had played in several bands before, but they both shared the same burning commitment to Heavy Metal music and they wanted to play in a band that was 100% dedicated to it. They completed the first lineup with bass player Christian Gunnarsson and the drum-machine Alesis HR-16, which was programmed by Mikael. Mikael and Niclas had been the major songwriters in their old bands, and it didn't take long until they had written enough material for the first demo, which was recorded in the early fall of 1992. Already at this early stage you could hear the fine melodic Heavy Metal ground on which Crystal Eyes stand today.
The Logotype
During 1993 Alesis HR-16 was replaced by a human drummer, and a new demo was recorded. On this demo Andreas Götesson for the first time appeared as an author of some of the lyrics. This cooperation has evolved over the years and Andreas is today more or less considered as a fifth member of the band. In 1994 Andreas also drew the original Crystal Eyes logotype for the first official demo, Crystal Eyes.
Through The Hard Times
In the spring of 1995 it was clear that the chemistry in the band wasn't working anymore. Some of the members wanted to change the musical direction of the band, but since Mikael didn't want to abandon the path of Heavy Metal, which was once the reason he formed Crystal Eyes, it became necessary to recruit new members who were 100% dedicated to Heavy Metal. Niclas and the drummer at the time, Martin Tilander, moved on to form the band Fierce Conviction, now Conviction.
A New Beginning
After having spent the entire summer of 1995 searching for new members Mikael once again completed the lineup with drummer Kujtim Gashi, guitarist Jukka Kaupaamaa and bassist Kim Koivo. In May 1996 Kim left the band just before the recordings of the second official demo, and was temporarily replaced by Marco Nicolaidis. The second official demo "The Shadowed Path" turned out to be a real turning point for the band. The demo received fantastic reviews from media all over the world, and that certainly helped when Crystal Eyes got the opportunity to warm up for the mighty German metal act Blind Guardian in October 1996.
A Solid Lineup
In January 1997 Mikael found a permanent bass player in Claes Wikander, and in Mars the third official demo "The Final Sign" was recorded. It received even better reviews than "The Shadowed Path". The demo tapes now sold out in just a few weeks, and Crystal Eyes were forced to make a second pressing. In October Jukka was replaced by Jonathan Nyberg. This lineup with Mikael Dahl, Jonathan Nyberg, Claes Wikander and Kujtim Gashi proved to be solid until June 2001. By spring 1998 Crystal Eyes recorded the fourth official demo "The Dragon's Lair" with their own digital mini studio. This proved to be a really lucky move for the band. The response from the fans and media were overwhelming, and for the first time some proper recording contracts were presented to the band.
The Debut Album
After hundreds of gigs, 2000 sold demo tapes and seven years of hard work Crystal Eyes finally signed their first recording contract in October 1998. It was Crazy Life Music who presented the best contract at the time, and since Crystal Eyes had tons of finished material they immediately went down to Studio Mohrmann, Germany, to record the debut. The recordings began on the 23d of November, ended two weeks later, and the mixing and mastering of the record were finished by January 1999. "World Of Black And Silver" was released on the 26th of April, and more than 500 metalheads attended the release party to celebrate with the band in their hometown.
The Late Follow Up
The material for the second album were finished during 1999, and the band were supposed to go into the studio by November. But Crazy Life Music pushed back the date for the studio at several occasions, and the band couldn't enter the studio until September 2000. During this one and a half year Crystal Eyes made several really good gigs to promote their debut. The highlights including opening for Candlemass (September 1999), the Motala Metal Festival with Grave Digger a.o. (January 22nd 2000), and opening for Yngwie Malmsteen (June 2000). On the 25th of September Crystal Eyes entered Studio Mohrmann to record "In Silence They March". The album was released on the 11th of December, and the promotion kicked off with a small Swedish tour in January 2001 including Lefay and Evergrey.
The Future
In May Kujtim Gashi, the drummer for for the past six years, felt he needed to spend more time with his ill daughter, and was unable to commit 100% to Crystal Eyes. It was a sad moment to loose a great drummer, but Kujtim still remains a great friend of the band. Crystal Eyes auditioned several drummers during a few weeks, and in June they found a perfect match in former Freternia drummer Stefan Svantesson. The band spent the rest of 2001 getting Stefan into Crystal Eyes mood with lots of hard rehearsals, and a few gigs. The band then kicked off 2002 with a small tour with Lost Horizon, Zonata and Iron Ware. About the same time Crystal Eyes got the opportunity to take over an old studio in connection with their rehearsal room. Which bring us up to the present...
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