“I want people to come and see sh*t they haven’t seen: I want people to be wowed every time.” After showering new EP ‘Agent of Chaos’ with praise, we sat down with Rick Walker of Neo Cryptid to dive into one of the wackiest, weirdest and most wonderful projects in modern metal.

Where 2023’s ‘Animator’ was our first peek into the world of Neo Cryptid, ‘Agent of Chaos’ has benefitted from the extreme amounts of legwork Walker has put into touring and promotion in the past few years— it was delightful to hear that the effort has been paying off. “It’s been the first release day I’ve ever had where I’ve had people knowing what’s going on and paying a bit of attention. It’s been bloody lovely. It’s been really nice to see things taking off: people sharing it around the place, generally a very positive response.” The buzz around the EP has been brewing naturally on the back of the project’s unique live show. As Walker went on to explain: “I don’t have the mad marketing budget to push it out: everything I’ve built so far has been word of mouth. If you enjoy Neo Cryptid, tell three people about Neo Cryptid.” 

Given the fairly unsettling cosmic horror aesthetic that’s coming to define Neo Cryptid, we were keen to dive into the inspiration for the artwork (commissioned from Crossfade Graphics). Discussing the initial concept for the cover, Walker said, “in my mind, I keep seeing the scary door from Futurama with something coming through it, as long as the something is cosmic horror: insectoid, tentacles, whatever catches the groove. I think it’s come out really cool. Anything could’ve been coming through at door: I just wanted it to be something weird and off-balance.” As you might expect, the image of a doorway— a must-have for the artwork, in Rick’s mind— carries with it a deeper meaning than a mere excuse for some hair-raising visuals. “Usually, I’m trying to bring stuff into metal in a way that isn’t that frequently done: [the artwork] felt appropriate for something that’s pushing boundaries and opening doorways.” 

Walker chose ‘Overlord’ as his favourite track from the EP, though was also keen to discuss the unexpected reaction to a different cut from the project. “I was really quite worried about ‘Displacer Beast’ because it’s the weirdest track on the EP. The fact that the response has been so favourable has made me very happy: ‘Displacer Beast’ is the one where I didn’t compromise any part to make it any more palatable.” Speaking further on what the this could mean for the future of Neo Cryptid, Walker shared: “I really want to incorporate more synth and trance elements without losing the heaviness. The songs I’m writing at the minute are in the kind of scene that ‘Displacer Beast’ is: big synth hooks.” 

Pulling back, we wanted to explore how a project as unique and experimental as Neo Cryptid came about in the first place. As Walker explained, “I’d always wanted to do something with it: if we want to take it right back, it began when i was a teenager listening to metal. I walked into Cyberdog in Camden and they had Infected Mushroom on the speakers and I was like: “hang on, I can like two things!”” Walker cited a wide ranges of influences for both his style of riff-writing, as well as his incorporation of electronic elements: bands including Electric Callboy, Lamb Of God, Devin Townsend and Combichrist were all listed as influences, no doubt contributing to the varied and eccentric sound of ‘Agent of Chaos.’ “I think that the best riffs— and the best music— are a combination of power, melody and groove: if you can find the sweet spot in those three things, where something can still be quite pretty and accessible but also crushing and groovy, you’ve got a banger.”

As Neo Cryptid solidifies its place as an exciting up-and-coming solo act, we discussed the difficulties of breaking out in the modern music scene: unsurprisingly, Walker confirmed the struggles of establishing a brand. “The market is so saturated at the moment: I think just getting eyes on stuff is the hardest thing. Everything is algorithm based, and algorithms favour things that sound similar. Writing weird music is difficult, but I feel I’ve started to find a foothold, which is really lovely. Hopefully, fingers crossed, it will continue.” Walker did, however, share how the unique set-up of Neo Cryptid had benefitted him in some ways: “being a solo act has really helped me, especially last year, because when bands dropped out of things, I could vulture in in seconds. That’s how i got most of the first gigs, because it’s a hard sell, what I’m doing.”

The musician also had some inspiring advice for small acts: “Don’t compromise the music, would be the biggest thing. Compromising on the stages, the slots, it doesn’t matter, couldn’t care less: don’t sweat the small stuff.” Walker also shared his passion for supporting fellow artists, and how it’s been working in his favour. “Concentrate on helping and being as upbeat as possible: so many slots, I’ve gotten because promotors have recommended me to other promoters. We’re all doing music because we love it— meet these other people that are doing the same thing you’re doing, for the same reasons. It will make your life infinitely easier, getting that foothold.” 

In classic Jaily Review fashion, we were interested to find out if Walker had a favourite album he wanted to champion: as it turned out, the choice was a surprisingly easy one for him. “‘Unicorn’ by Gunship is possibly the greatest album out there: it’s retro synth pop. Put it on on a summer’s day when you’re walking somewhere and you will have the time of your life. It’s exactly how I want my music to make people feel, even if it doesn’t sound much alike.” Neo Cryptid has several upcoming shows himself in support of ‘Agent of Chaos,’ including an appearance at Bradford’s Shadowfest on July 19th, as well as several other festival appearances across the UK. “I’m bringing the big light rig: if people are in the area, that’s gonna be an absolute party.”