Gryp

    Gryp

    Fresno, California8 reviews across 4 releases

    alternative metalhardcorenu metalrapcore
    Discogs

    Gryp formed in Fresno, California, in 1997 as a Christian heavy band with a sound rooted in metallic hardcore. The five-song Real combined fast and slow riffs with psychedelic passages, while Curtis Shamlin shifted from harsh screams into rap, whispers, spoken delivery and clean singing. Their lyrics addressed faith through personal crisis: "You Were There" questioned God about divorce, disability and abandonment before reaching an answer of continued divine presence. Indecision expanded the approach with samples, funk-influenced guitar, modern-rock melody and abrupt changes between grooves, noise and spoken sections. The 2001 EP Left Behind moved toward nu metal, with heavier Deftones-like guitar tones and more controlled singing. By Gryp, rapcore remained part of the sound, but aggro metal and more conventional songwriting had become the stronger frame.

    In 2004, Curtis Shamlin and guitarist Jason Garcia formed Speakers for the Dead after Gryp's run was ending. Gryp disbanded by 2006, following years of touring and releases that had moved from independent distribution to Metro One Music and GEI Records. Speakers for the Dead continued with Shamlin and Garcia, adding Gary Shipman on drums and Rob Slocum on bass; the band later signed with Magna Carta and prepared the album Prey for Murder. Shamlin revived Gryp in 2015, and the renewed band issued the I Wanna Be God EP in 2016. The revival also produced a small run of live appearances in California through 2017.

    4 releases reviewed