Cryoshell

Cryoshell
Cryoshell's logo used in promotional material.
Background information
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Alternative rock hard rock symphonic rock
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Cryoshell I/S (2008–present) VME (2009–2013) The Leaders (2013–present) Surface (2017–present)
Members	Christine Lorentzen Kasper Søderlund Mikkel Maltha
Past members	Niels Brinck Jakob Gundel Tine Midtgaard Martin Pagaard

Cryoshell (often stylized as C R Y O S H E L L) is a Danish rock band from Copenhagen formed in 2006. The line-up consists of lead vocalist Christine "Lore" Lorentzen, guitarist Kasper Søderlund and keyboardist Mikkel Maltha.

In the band's early years, they recorded several songs used as soundtracks for Bionicle, a popular series of construction toys manufactured by The Lego Group, in their promotional campaigns. In the wake of the theme's first discontinuation, they recorded their self-titled debut studio album, which was originally released in 2010 in Scandinavia and later in other global territories. Preceded by two singles, the album is set for a global reissue at a currently unknown date. As of 2017, the band is in the process of recording their sophomore album Next to Machines, with a projected release date of winter 2017–18.

Cryoshell's genre of music has usually been classified as alternative rock, hard rock, metal, or even a crossover between the three. They have a style similar to that of bands such as Delain and Evanescence (both of which are also fronted by a female singer) and have also been compared to other acts like Linkin Park and Within Temptation.

History

2006–08: Formation and work with Lego

The group that would later become Cryoshell was formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2006. Music composer Mikkel Maltha was contacted by The Lego Group to write and produce a promotional song for their 2007 wave of Bionicle construction toys. Maltha was accompanied by fellow composer and guitarist Kasper Søderlund and producer Eddie Simonsen. They held auditions for a potential vocalist, and after sending five singers to the Lego Group's U.S. headquarters to audition, the company chose Christine "Lore" Lorentzen, a former TV presenter and employee of the creative agency, Advance, to provide vocals for the song, later titled "Creeping in My Soul". Upon release, the song became a popular download from the official Lego website; eventually becoming the number-one most downloaded file and reaching over one million views on YouTube. The song itself is featured in commercials, teaser trailers, online games and the short animated film Creeps from the Deep, advertising Lego's Bionicle Barraki toy wave released in early 2007.

From the popularity of "Creeping in My Soul", Maltha and Søderlund went on to produce two new songs to promote Bionicle's Mahri and Phantoka waves of mid-2007 and early 2008, respectively. The songs "Face Me" and "Gravity Hurts" feature Danish singer Niels Brinck, who also co-wrote the two songs. By mid-2008, Maltha and Søderlund were rejoined by Lorentzen and recorded the track "Closer to the Truth" as their first official song as the now-named band Cryoshell. Like with their previous releases, it was used to promote another Lego Bionicle toy wave: the Mistika of mid-2008. Cryoshell later announced plans to record a full-length album featuring new and previously-published material for release in the fall of 2008, however, the date got pushed back numerous times.

2009–14: Cryoshell

Cryoshell released their debut single "Bye Bye Babylon" in July 2009, which also served as their fifth and final promotional song for Bionicle; this time featured in the commercials advertising their Glatorian and Glatorian Legends toy waves, as well as in the end credits of the film Bionicle: The Legend Reborn.

Following the announcement of their debut album, Cryoshell began writing and recording with Danish producer Jacob Hansen. They released a re-recording of their first-recorded song, "Creeping in My Soul", as their second single in December 2009, followed by an EP baring the same name in January 2010. The band's self-titled debut studio album was released on June 7, 2010 in Scandinavia under the Norwegian record label Voices Music & Entertainment. However, due to the hardships of publishing the album internationally, it was released in other countries at later dates; by February 2012, it was available in most global territories.

Lorentzen took maternity leave from the band between November 2011–October 2013 when it was stated that two new tracks would be recorded. In her place, Tine Midtgaard - a runner-up on the 2010 series of the Danish talent show The X Factor - provided vocals for the new original song "Breakout" (released December 2012) and a remix of the previously-released song "Gravity Hurts" (premiered January 2013). When Lorentzen rejoined Cryoshell, it was announced that the new songs would be included as bonus tracks on a international reissue of their debut album under the Greek record label The Leaders; a release date is yet to be announced.

2015–Present: Next to Machines

Regarding a second studio album, the band stated in an interview with Ravenheart Music: "We would love to release another album, but it is not right around the corner. We are in a creative process, playing around with ideas and sounds, and we hope that it will result in an album."^[1]

In February 2015, original Bionicle concept artist Christian Faber confirmed that Cryoshell would produce the soundtrack for Rebel Nature: a project currently being developed by his independent creative agency, Faber Fuel. Recording for the project's first release - a mobile app game called Escape RIG21 - began in September 2015.^[2] Cryoshell later announced that production on a new album titled Next to Machines - featuring songs inspired by Rebel Nature - would be crowd-funded using the funding platform Kickstarter. It was set to commence on May 1, 2017, but was cancelled at the last minute when the band managed to secure funding from another source.^[3] As of June 2017, the band is in the process of recording the album, with a projected release date of winter 2017–18 under Surface Records.

Band members

Discography

The discography of Cryoshell currently consists of 1 studio album, 1 extended play, 3 singles and 5 music videos. The band has also produced a number of songs for the Lego toy theme Bionicle between 2007 and 2009, while the song "Breakout" has featured in Hero Factory, a TV series based on the Lego toy theme of the same name.

References

External links

• Cryoshell's MySpace Page
• Official Cryoshell YouTube Channel
• Secondary Cryoshell YouTube Channel