Cryptkicker have reformed and will play their first reunion show on Saturday at the Agora (5000 Euclid Ave.). Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are $12. Scalera, Product of Chaos and Backward Seven open.
The band, whose bio describes them as "Cleveland's bastard sons of hate." They formed in 1995, mixing nü-metal theatrics and modern-metal crunch. Cryptkicker were a local favorite, but they abruptly pulled the plug in 2004, without an official last show.
"There were personal, professional and financial reasons why things stopped," says bassist Woody Simmons. "So for us, there was really no ending to the story. We felt it was time to knock the dust off, find some new blood, turn the amps to 11 and unleash another round of soul-crushing metal."
Luke Camp is the band's new guitarist. New drummer Kevin Jarrell previously played with Voice of Treason and Down to One. Original vocalist Rob Forrider rounds out the group.
Simmons says the band will perform around 20 songs, with tunes from every release, in addition to four new cuts. Cryptkicker plan to record a fifth CD this fall. More live dates will be announced after the show.
"We'll be stepping up the stage show, bringing in some visuals to take the live experience to another level," says Simmons. "The new material we're writing is, without a doubt, the heaviest stuff we've written to date."
The Missing (ex-Who Killed Marilyn) open for the Donnas at Peabody's (2045 E. 21st St.) at 7 p.m. Friday. The band is selling a limited-edition T-shirt with the purchase of a ticket; visit MySpace.com/GhostLabsRecords for details. The band is also working on its second EP, tentatively titled At Midnight, with Keratoma's Tom Shaffner mixing.
Last week, the Whiskey Daredevils played a Rock Hall party that was taped for the Food Network's Dinner Impossible. The group is now recording its fifth album, which may be out by the time the episode airs. The self-described "best country-punk band on the planet" plays the Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Ave.) at 10 p.m. Saturday. Akillis Green and Church of the Lazy Bastard open. Tickets: $7.
