In February 1990, the duo Roman Kříbek + Petr´Blackosh´Hošek meet for the first time in the middle of Europe ( at a miniature metal festival in Bzenec ) and a special spark jumps, which will later ignite a flame called CRUX...

Due to the miserable creative circumstances prevailing in their bands at the time ( Root, Denet ), they agreed on a joint project in the spring of 1990. Just a few musical motifs and the vision is outlined... Roman leaves Denet in August 1990 to devote himself fully to CRUX. The first compositions are created. Over time, however, it turns out that the originally agreed concept of joint composition simply does not work. Blackosh is broken and depressed by Root's condition, but at the same time financially dependent on their activities, which is reflected in his psyche and creative and human schism. It therefore consists mainly of Roman, with only occasional contributions from Blackosh ( e.g. opening motifs of the song "Klíč" or guitar solos ).

In the summer of 1991, after a year of polishing the repertoire, Roman brings drummer René Kostelňák to the line-up after many vicissitudes. However, with his arrival, paradoxically, the problems with the guitarist Blackosh deepen, who falls into even greater passivity and does not even show up for the band's first concert in the Frýdek-Místek military barracks. Roman and René don't want to resign from the performance, so they play songs ( in front of the stunned audience ) in two people only, when Roman playing some songs on the bass, others on the guitar...

Long distance, lack of money and other factors constantly haunt the life of a new band. In December 1991 Roman managed to record the first demo "Scream of Death" in the Ostrava studio Barbarella. Despite the whirlwind of invention and player potential that this record captures, the future of CRUX is still threatened by the risk of Blackosh's unreliability. Therefore, Roman expands CRUX with another guitarist ( Jarek Opiela - Denet ), who is supposed to strenghten the sound of the band, or replace Blackosh, whose further participation was beginning to be uncertain. The absence of concerts is also very noticeable, the mood is miserable. Roman will try again to get CRUX on the stage at least as a support band for Pungent Stench in Karviná. But despite the fact that all the groups were willing to shorten their program to make time for CRUX, the organizer doesn't care about the CRUX performance and returns band directly from the stairs to the stage... ( However, this absurd episode does not fit into the myth about CRUX and so a few years later you can read that this concert and "a few messed up club performances" were played by CRUX... But it is not true. )

The band lacked a manager, no one wanted to humiliate themselves in front of the Czech organizers and offer a group at this level that will play for beer and sausage or completely free.

In May 1992, CRUX finally gave a concert in Ostrava at a joint event with Denet and Krabathor. For the first and last time in the line-up with the guitarist Blackosh, who already in June 1992 leaves the band and does not come to the booked studio. At the insistence of the publisher, the original material was re-recorded at the Fors studio in Český Těšín. Therefore, Kříbek had to share the guitar parts with Opiela. They recorded reworked tracks from the first demo and two brand new ones. This studio recording is released and distributed by the Sacred agency throughout the Czech Republic under the name "Terrific Warrior". Without any official advertising or concerts, over 500 cassettes were sold in a few months. Several samples were also broadcast by Ostrava radio station Orion.

In July 1992, drummer René Kostelňák leaves CRUX. Dalimil Závacký took the vacant seat, but only until October 1992, when Tomáš Buganský replaced him due to inability. Even he, however, only take a few picture with the others and then leave the band. And so the next months are marked by persuading local amateurs to wake up and start taking music and rehearsal seriously. For example Tomáš Němec ( later in Support Lesbiens ), David Ševčík ( Malignant Tumour ) and others are also approached, then unknown. Guitarist Jarek Dostál will also play briefly with the CRUX line-up. But all is in vain. Only with Radim Hájek behind the drums does he start working on the new program "Naturalia" again.

Stylistically, it was a hard to categorize combination of folk, progressive, thrash and viking metal. They manage to rehearse the basics of four new songs and others are in the works when guitarist Jarek Opiela suddenly resigns, who under financial pressure decides to pursue a "career" as a bar player in Germany... Radim also quits after a few weeks in the resulting depression... Cold Autumn 1993 is the definitive demise of the CRUX group.

At that moment, the no longer existent band scored points on the radio charts in France and aroused the interest of metal magazines in several European countries and even in Cuba... In addition to letters from abroad and laudatory reviews, there were also offers from Czech organizers, but there was no one to play the concerts anymore ... Roman guested in other bands for a while ( Nemesis, Stylet, Love history, etc. ), then basically stopped playing and lived a civilian life.

In the meantime, Blackosh is recording "The First Key" again in Petr Janda studio "Propast", after which he sticks a few passages ala Bathory, and suddenly there is a "new" song, which he calls "The last key". He lists it as an act of Cales, explaining that it is "revenge". In time, the Demons of Darkness will also be dusted off, so this song can be heard again in 1999 on the Entrails CD.

In 2000, the basically pirated CD "CRUX - Scream of death" was released under the label Leviathan Records. Sloppy packaging, data errors, messed up track titles and copyright mockery...

CRUX posthumously turns into an Eastern Bloc phenomenon, which is considered by many fans in Europe and the USA to be a cult "old school black metal" band.

In September 2006, while trying to restore contact and perhaps even friendship ( ? ), Blackosh asks Roman for old photos of CRUX, recordings from rehearsals, etc. The Swedish company "I Hate records" is interested in releasing CRUX... They want the original recording, no cleaning, as much information and photos as possible. In addition to CDs, they are also considering the release of rare vinyls... So it is agreed: we will collect all the material, I will agree on it, compile the text of the booklet and then I will send it to Sweden. Good...

But the moment, when Blackosh gets what he wanted, he compiles a "history" himself, regurgitates data and dates, remixes the sound of the recording, cuts and "improves" the new version of Awathea song with non-tuning keys, censors the bonus ( by omitting the recording of the rehearsal where he no longer played ) and replaces it with a few seconds nonsense that he calls "Farm house"... He sends all this to the publisher without further discussion. In 2007, this confused, unauthorized CD is released, as well as vinyl in 2010 and another issues from other labels...

It's the end ot the CRUX band.

 

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I was surprised how many people listened to music which I made and record in desperate conditions before many years.

It can be understood as honor ( but I do not have any financial support from it - yes guys and girls, it is the true, when you buy this CD or MP3, please know, that the main author of this music does not get even one penny from it ) but it is also pain and sorrow that this all was given them so late and in such a destroyed form.

But it is necessary to add that I am already different man now. Different than in time, when hungry and tired from night shifts in power station I tried to put together a passages and riffs of new songs and thought out texts made according to metal music cliche, in a cold, wet  hut.

Today, I would find it childish and embarrassing to dress as dumb and invoke all those scarecrows, when the main force of nations and individuals is false faith, selfishness and stupidity. How can I argue that now, when the entire Earth is being plundered by economic interests and wealthy elites are enslaving entire states unhindered, so Christianity, which has no effect on society, is enslaving anyone? In the era of development mafias, political figures and forced abortions, should I snort into the microphone that the Bible or faith in God is guilty? After all, I would become exactly the naive fool that the dictators want me to be. Yet it is remarkable, but also typical, that the hatred of islamists, satanists, vandals, but also of the police and the government offices, is focused exclusively on "soft targets". None of them engage in a brave confrontation with a dangerous adversary, and they do not fight real evil because they are part of it. Some criminals have uniforms, others do not, but in principle they are "in the same boat" and have the same commander. This sad, absurd phenomenon, which runs throughout history, has helped me understand the spiritual interconnectedness of all these groups and the meaning of the biblical phrase "this world."

I think that mysticism has its place in human life, because a person without this dimension is miserable and like a pig. He starts in the rat race, his head rubberized by the media image of reality, trust in institutions, herd reflexes, and at the same time he believes that he is free. I don't know exactly what it is that some, even in that miserable state, begin to search and find the truth, while others remain blind and deaf for the rest of their lives. Does it still make sense to refute some lies when even the government of the most powerful country on the planet is knowingly lying to the whole world about the Kennedy assassination, about September 2001, about the elections, about Russia, about the North Stream, etc.? Does anyone even care?  I'm not sure about that either...

But I know that I would not change with those who are always satisfied with official information and the opinion of the majority. The truth is worth seeking. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free, as Christ said. And I believe him.

 

Roman

 

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