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. During this time, Sightread played grunge music imspred by the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.

The band continued playing shows for most of 1997 under the Sightread moniker until Rivers left the band following a car accident that made him unable to play bass without discomfort. Around the time of Rivers' departure, the band went through several changes. AJ changed the band's name to “Kreachr”, a name that they got from a crayon drawing of a monster drawn by AJ's then 5-year-old cousin Alex. The band also moved away from their early grunge sound, into a sound inspired by the then-burgeoning Californian nu metal scene, which AJ was a huge fan of.

Around this time, the band 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, the newly-rechristened Kreachr became the 4-piece band that they are today.

That same year, the band released a second EP, Flowers are Passive, Sun Isn't, highlighting their brand new nu metal sound. The band distributed the demo 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 second EP The Resurgence later that same year and their eighth studio album, Suffering in Stereo, the next year, 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 Nuclear Blast Records in 2014, which is their current record label as of this writing. So far, they have released two albums under Nuclear Blast, Bloodflow (2015) and Abnormal (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 early material, recorded under the Sightread name, showcased a more grunge-inspired sound. Their influences include include Korn, Deftones, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, Metallica, Pantera, Fear Factory, Alice in Chains, Ministry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction, Sepultura, Stuck Mojo, Anthrax, Public Enemy, Suicidal Tendencies, Mr. Bungle, Fishbone, Primus, Biohazard, Beastie Boys, Living Colour and Soundgarden.

Combining elements of grunge, hardcore punk, funk metal, thrash metal, groove metal, industrial metal and hip-hop, 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,  whatever bullshit we are lumped on to. It's all meaningless to us.”

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.

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: Nuclear Blast


 * Abnormal (2017)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal

Released: February 8, 2017

Label: Nuclear Blast

EPs

 * Sightread EP (1996)

Genre: Grunge

Released: 1996

Label: Independent/Self-released


 * Flowers are Passive, Sun Isn't (1997)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Rapcore

Released: 1997

Label: Independent/Self-released


 * Awaken the Monster (2001)

Genre: Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Electronic Rock

Released: January 19, 2001

Label: MCA

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal
 * The Resurgence

Released: September 26, 2012

Label: Prospect Park

Compilations

 * The Singles: 1998-2008 (2009)

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

Released: December 1, 2009

Label: Lava

Live Albums

 * Anarkhy in the U.K. (2003)

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

Released: November 14, 2003

Label: Geffen