Kreachr

​Kreachr   (typecast as ʞreachr ) is an alternative metal band from Columbus, Ohio. Originally formed in 1995, the current band lineup consists of AJ Reeves on vocals, Criss Garcia on lead guitar and backing vocals, Hiro Tanaka on bass guitar, Finnegan “Fyngr” Graves on drums. They have maintained the same lineup since 1997.

Kreachr was one of the pioneer bands of the nu metal era from the late ‘90s to early 2000s. They eventually switched to a more progressive sound with Divide (2006), but soon returned to their nu metal roots with Suffering in Stereo (2013). Their most well-known song is “Trouble”, their first single off of their sophomore album, The New Monster (2000).

History
Kreachr was formed in 1995 under the name “Sightread”, as a three-piece band with Jamie Allan “AJ” Reeves on vocals and lead guitar, Nathan Rivers on bass guitar, and Finnegan “Fyngr” Grimes on drums. They recorded a self-titled demo tape (now known as the Sightread EP) and distributed it in small quantities before changing their name to “Kreachr” in early 1997. According to frontman AJ Reeves, the band got their name from a crayon drawing of a monster that his then 5-year-old neighbor and close friend Alex drew.

The band continued playing shows until Rivers left the band following a car accident that made him unable to play bass without discomfort. The band then hired the half-Japanese Hiro Tanaka to play bass, and later on, was joined by Christine “Criss” Garcia, a childhood friend of AJ’s, who took over guitar duties and added backing vocals onto their music. As a result, Kreachr became a 4-piece band.

That same year, the band released a second EP, Spiders, which they also distributed to a bunch of record labels, only to be rejected. Until they were introduced to a friend who worked for MCA, which then led to them signing to the label from 1997 until its demise in 2003. They have recorded three albums under MCA: Kreachr (1998), The New Monster (2000) and Inside (2002).

Following the moderate success of their self-titled debut album, Kreachr released their second album The New Monster, which propelled them into superstardom. The album spawned 4 singles (“Trouble”, “Of Love and Nightmares”, “Along Came a Spider” and “My Sickness”), three of which charted high on the Billboard Hot 100 and Modern Rock charts. To this day, The New Monster remains Kreachr’s best-selling album. In 2002, the band released Inside, which continued their chain of success, with the hit single “Resentment” taking the #1 spot on the Modern Rock charts for several weeks.

The spring of 2003 saw Kreachr’s record label MCA Records fold into Geffen Records, which they later signed with. The band only released one full-length album under Geffen, Broken Silence (2004), which was marred by various issues during production, including multiple disagreements with the new executives. The end result was a disappointment, with singles that did not chart high, and as a result, Kreachr left the label in early 2005.

Kreachr would eventually sign to Lava Records to release their next studio album Divide in 2006, which saw the band move away from their previous nu metal sound into progressive metal. While not as big of a success as The New Monster or Inside, Divide proved to be a moderate success, leading to the band recording two more albums under the label: Cell (2008) and In Ruins (2010), before being dropped by the label. In 2011, the band took a short hiatus in order to give AJ Reeves and Criss Garcia time to prepare for their then-forthcoming wedding.

The band eventually returned in 2012, this time signed under Prospect Park, to release their next album, Suffering in Stereo, an album that sees the band return to their nu metal roots, the following year. However, despite a relatively successful launch and charting singles, their record label, Prospect Park, filed for bankruptcy shortly after the release of the album, and as a result, the band was without a record label again.

The band eventually signed with Rise Records in 2014, which is their current record label as of this writing. So far, they have released two albums under Rise, Bloodflow (2015) and Ʞ (2017).

Musical Style and Motifs
Kreachr’s music has been described as nu metal, alternative metal, rap metal, funk metal, hard rock, rapcore and post-grunge. Their later material sees them delve into progressive metal, and they have also been categorized as metalcore. Their influences include Anthrax, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Metallica, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Machine Head, Beastie Boys, Helmet, Black Flag, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, Depeche Mode, Sonic Youth, Insane Clown Posse, Led Zeppelin, Deftones, Bad Religion, Run-D.M.C., Stone Temple Pilots, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Prodigy, Tool, Nirvana, Eric B. & Rakim and 311.

Combining the sounds of grunge, hardcore punk, funk metal, thrash metal, groove metal, hip-hop, electronics and industrial, Kreachr shaped their one-of-a-kind sound. In Kreachr's earliest songs, rapping is a common element, alongside clean vocals and screaming, provided by AJ, and Criss' melodic backing vocals. Over the course of time, the band has slowly distanced themselves from rapping in their later records, outright excising it as soon as they went to progressive metal. However, as of their return to nu metal with Suffering in Stereo, the rapping elements have returned.

In regards to the nu metal label, the band’s frontman AJ Reeves, while not outright rejecting it, has often spoken his indifference on the matter. In one interview, he quoted: “Kreachr is Kreachr. Nothing more, nothing less. We don’t really see ourselves as part of any trend or anything. We’re just a band who does whatever we like to do. It’s just that. Never really cared what genre we are, or whatever bullshit we are lumped on to.”

On certain songs beginning with "Ave" from Inside (2002), Criss Garcia would often take over vocals from AJ. Her songs are noted to be more mellow ballads compared to AJ’s heavier stuff. Kreachr is also known to employ the vocal tag team technique in certain songs, where AJ and Criss take turns in providing vocals, a common element in nu metal, with several bands like Linkin Park, Crazy Town and Mushroomhead utilizing the same technique.

Vocalist AJ Reeves is known for his high-pitched screams, which were often compared to that of Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno. When asked if he was influenced by Moreno, AJ quoted: “As much as I don’t like the guy, I must admit, he did have quite an influence in our sound, including my screaming voice. That’s one good thing from him.”

Kreachr is known for their eclectic and high energy live performances. Drummer Finnegan “Fyngr” Graves was noted for his exotic appearance in concerts. He would often appear in horror-inspired face paint and outfits, similar to bands like Mushroomhead and early Mudvayne.

Current

 * AJ Reeves - lead vocals, occasional lead guitar (1995-present); lead guitar (1995-1997)


 * Criss Garcia-Reeves - lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (1997-present)


 * Hiro Tanaka - bass guitar (1997-present)


 * Finnegan “Fyngr” Graves - drums (1995-present)

Former

 * Nathan Rivers - bass guitar (1995-1997)

Studio Albums

 * Kreachr (1998)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: August 17, 1998

Label: MCA


 * The New Monster (2000)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: July 6, 2000

Label: MCA


 * Inside (2002)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal

Released: May 2, 2002

Label: MCA


 * Broken Silence (2004)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal

Released: June 30, 2004

Label: Geffen


 * Divide (2006)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal

Released: September 23, 2006

Label: Lava


 * Cell (2008)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal

Released: October 6, 2008

Label: Lava


 * Imago (2010)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal

Released: July 6, 2010

Label: Lava


 * Suffering in Stereo (2013)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Progressive Metal

Released: August 3, 2013

Label: Prospect Park


 * Bloodflow (2015)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal

Released: April 25, 2015

Label: Rise


 * Ʞ (2017)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal

Released: February 8, 2017

Label: Rise

EPs

 * Sightread EP (1996)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: 1996

Label: Independent/Self-released


 * Spiders (1997)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: 1997

Label: Independent/Self-released


 * Out of Sight (2001)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Electronic Rock

Released: January 19, 2001

Label: MCA

Compilations

 * The Singles: 1998-2008 (2009)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Progressive Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: December 1, 2009

Label: Lava

Live Albums

 * Anarʞhy in the U. Ʞ . (2003)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: November 14, 2003

Label: Geffen