Band Line Up 2019
Crescent was formed in 1998 by Ismaeel Attallah and Amr Mokhtar with the infatuation by bands like Death, Bolt Thrower and particularly the Swedish Black Metal scene. In 1999, they released their first demo ‘Dreamland’, back then Crescent was purely a Black Metal band.
For at least 5 to 7 years, Crescent performed in various gigs in Cairo and Alexandria, mainly performing a few original songs along with a dedicated set list of Dissection songs. Crescent was considered a Dissection tribute band back then. In 2005, Crescent composed material for a full-length that never saw the light; it was an album in the vein of Dissection and Marduk. Abruptly, they decided to wipe it off completely and to work on achieving a style that marks their own sound. That new inception needed persistence and time on a journey seeking Crescent’s identity.
In 2008-2009, their EP ‘The Retribution’ was recorded with Moanis Salem on bass, Ismaeel Attallah on vocals and all guitars and Amr Mokhtar on drums. This record started shaping up what they wanted; the transition from their Black metal roots to the adaptation of the Death Metal composition with the essence of their Egyptian/Eastern guitar scales that were utilized to represent who they are and where they come from. The EP reflected the region’s political dilemmas and its reflection on the band as individuals and artists.
In 2013, the original members (Ismaeel and Amr) recorded their debut album ‘Pyramid Slaves’, which totally embraced the Black/Death Metal genre mixed with of their Egyptian sound. Pyramid Slaves uniqueness in composition and writing stands on its own for its richness in melodies and complexities. It tackles versatile subjects like Egyptian mythology, wars, religion, Human nature and how history clearly repeats itself till today in nuances.
In 2013, Mohamed Adel joined the ranks on rhythm guitar. In 2014, Crescent went on a Europe tour, covering Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland and Czech Republic. Crescent is the first Metal band from Egypt to tour Europe. Shortly after, they won the Wacken Metal Battle in Egypt and represented Egypt for the first time at Wacken Open Air 2014. Later that year, Crescent acquired a new rhythm guitarist, Youssef Saleh. Crescent maintained a local presence while performing abroad at major festivals like Inferno Metal Festival 2015 in Norway.
Crescent is the first Metal band from Egypt to perform in many Eastern European festivals like Rockstadt Indoor Edition 2016 in Romania, Carpathian Alliance and (headlining) Metal Head’s Mission in Ukraine. Not to mention being the only band from Egypt to perform in France with their acclaimed performance at Fall of Summer 2017 in France. Along with being the only band from Egypt to perform at Party.San Open Air (2018).
Their new full length ‘The Order of Amenti’ was recorded in 2016/2017, it was mixed and mastered by Vamacara studio in France and the artwork was created by Michal 'Xaay' Loranc. By this album, they reached a new level of maturity in the balance between aggression and melody. The Order of Amenti is a tribute to the Ancient Egyptian gods. It is their thought of contribution to Egypt and to the Metal world. As they have always wanted to create something to pay homage to their history and country. The album is based on Egyptian mythology; it lyrically and musically manifests the divine nature of the ancient Egyptian gods’ attributes. Such characteristics reflect upon many principals that deal with today’s issues. Hence, the epic soundscape with the ethnic Egyptian musical scales/instruments that are very dominant on this record. It is the pinnacle of Crescent’s historical development. After the album was recorded, it was immediately picked up by the renowned French record label Listenable Records which signed the band.
Ismaeel Attallah – Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar
Youssef Saleh – Backing Vocals/Guitar
Moanis Salem – Bass Guitar
Amr Mokhtar – Drums
