Cold Pestilent Hope (2010 – 2011)
The band spent the second half of 2009 struggling to promote Blind Faith Loyalty. We ended up buying a van to expand show opportunities, but touring was simply not an option considering the makeup of the band. In fact, it was a question I was often posed with: “Why don’t you guys tour?” It was a simple answer for me: If the band tours, then we come back broke, or in debt, or worse: fully dissolved. I turned down several opportunities to do a DIY tour for those reasons alone. For me, keeping the band together and recording new music outweighed hitting the road.

The summer of 2009 saw the twin departure of bassist Dom Scarano (who replaced Shaun Gunter), and Kevin Antonacci (who replaced Nick Bentzel). Both were incredibly nice dudes and blended in seamlessly with the fabric of the band. In fact, our tenure with Dom and Kevin was probably our most happy-go-lucky for the Renaldi era of the band, but Kevin sustained a wrist injury leading up to a demo recording session, and Dom had school interests to pursue. They remain close friends to this day.

During this time, we were able to fill the bass spot with Tim “Manticore” Boyle, a long-time friend of the band who handled guitar duties in fellow Pittsburgh metallers Grave Desire. Boyle – a lefty by necessity – was a trained bassist, but this fact wasn’t made known to us for at least several years into our relationship. One could assume that if we knew this, the bass spot would have probably been handled by Tim from the onset. Never the matter, for Boyle’s exceptional talents on bass gave us a new twist in the rhythm section, and his energy, hard work, and motivation gave CTL a shot in the arm.

Our lineup was completed by drummer Argel Marchelletta, who we snagged from another local band, In the Wake. Arge was a casual acquataince of the band, a quiet, but easy-going dude who didn’t have the extreme metal pedigree of Jon or Bentzel, yet was a stellar time-keeper with a great work ethic. We quickly put Arge through the ringer, getting him up to speed on our back catalog’s more strenuous numbers, of which he was able to handle by the end of December 2009.

Towards the end of 2009, our time with Renaldi was coming to an end. It was long our hope he’d blossom into the commanding frontman able to convey our music on the live front properly, but progress was stalled on that front. I don’t think Renaldi ever prescribed to the metal frontman role; he’s a 70’s rock guy, even if he loves Iron Maiden. Renaldi was never a rah-rah type of vocalist either, and it was my belief we needed that type of singer for the style we played. Such discrepancies eventually came to a head after an opening spot for While Heaven Wept in January 2010. After watching WHW’s fantastic lead singer Rain Irving handle the crowd with ease and professionalism, the decision was prompted by Joe and I to make a switch in the vocal department.

Joe was left to break the news to Renaldi. The two were infinitely better friends than Renaldi and I were, so it was deemed more appropriate. He took the news about as well as one could have, and defended his stint in the band with several valid points, namely his youth and that he was often the brunt of our jokes when he initially joined. He was right on both accounts. Still, a change needed to be made. We even toyed with the idea of Joe taking over vocals, which would mean we’d be all growls. That idea floated for about 30 minutes.

On New Year’s Day 2010, we were approached by Leon Mallah (also of In the Wake) for our vocal position. Renaldi was still a member, but it wasn’t much of a secret among our local friends in bands that we were looking to make a switch. Leon, a guitar player at heart with exceptional vocal ability, was met with skepticism on our front only because he handled some decidedly emo-sounding vocals in his main band. However, we were able to send some pre-production takes of “Defame the Hypocrite” and “Bound to Wrath,” to Leon, who promptly recorded his own versions. After some conferring among Joe, Tim, and our producer Dave Watson, we decided to bring Leon in for a tryout.

After two practices with Leon, it was decided upon that he’d be our new singer. We might have rushed this decision because we booked studio time for March of that year…it was only January, giving us two months to prepare to record album #3. Nevertheless, we had laid out a practice schedule, wrote some tunes in a relatively short amount of time (I remember songs like “Forgotten and Damned” and “Cold Pestilent Hope” coming pretty quick), and worked unbelievably hard to record.

This was probably the most fun period of Crown the Lost for me. The five of us gelled almost immediately, an utter rarity for this band, but it made coming to practice fun, thus, a stark contrast to the Blind Faith Loyalty sessions. We’d often practice on a Saturday, and go out to eat. Or, during the infamous blizzard of 2010, we waited until the very last moment to cancel practice, but proceeded to meet the following week when the entire South Side of Pittsburgh was slammed with snow. That’s dedication for you.

Recording sessions started the third week of March, 2010, at Soundscape Studios. Same studio, same producer/engineer, but different lineup. Arge had his struggles on the first day of tracking (I remember Joe calling me the day after, sounding a little concerned), but promptly righted the ship on the second. Guitars were a snap, and Tim’s bass session were something new for us altogether. For once, we had actual bass lines on a record. No longer did we have to rely upon Joe to lay down the parts. For this, Tim’s abilities should be commended. He truly is a fantastic player.

The vocal sessions went smoothly as well. Once Leon banged out “In Defiance of Sanctity” (a song MTV would end up using on one of their “Battle of the Seasons” shows), we were often pleasantly surprised with the results. Leon was able to contour his voice to meet our specifications, including having to sing clean when played in standard tuning, an Iron Maiden move if there ever was one. But Leon handled it all so effortlessly, and his professional approach, enthusiasm, and good-hearted nature were just what the band needed. Furthermore, it was the start of a musical relationship between Joe, Leon, and I that still exists today. (In different bands, mind you.)

Mixing and mastering was eventually completed in December of 2010, but by then, the market had shrunk considerably for a band like ours. Simply put, we didn’t have the label interest as we did before, and were often met with radio silence from those who were quick to respond before. This could have something to do with the lukewarm response to Blind Faith Loyalty, or maybe labels wouldn’t know how to sell a band that while playing a brand of thrash, wasn’t retro, and didn’t have the modern influences that sell to a younger audience. We were caught in the margins.

We didn’t sign a deal until June of 2011 with Gas Can Media. The goal was to get the album licensed as much as possible, thus earning more income. While that did happen, the band was becoming a spent force. And in particular, my relationship with Joe had deteriorated rapidly. For the better part of 2011, Joe stopped showing for practice, leaving the task of new songs solely up to Tim and I. It was a natural cause of slugging it for so many years without having any breakthroughs, combined with the obvious differences in personalities between us. At that point, Joe was probably looking to branch out on his own (which he did), while I was excited at the prospect of steering the band by myself.

Joe eventually quit Crown the Lost in July of 2011. No one was surprised. The idea of folding the band didn’t quite occur to anyone; we asked Dave Watson to fill in on lead guitar for our scheduled shows while we’d search for a replacement.

Obviously, Joe’s departure left a huge void in the band. His leads and melodies were long the primary focus of our sound, and to fill it with someone similar, would be a mistake. Several would-be players come down the pike, but we settled on local shredder Todd Seitz. Todd’s tenure in the band would be a total of two months…if that.

During this time, Leon and Arge had started a new band, Collide, who ended up using our practice space during CTL’s off-days. Naturally, Leon’s interest drifted toward this band, where he handled guitar duties and was the main songwriter, so I could see the writing on the wall. Leon pulled me aside one night after practice and told me he was quitting to devote his full attention to Collide, which I completely understood. Not wanting to go through the selection process of another local singer, I decided to fold the band in October of 2011.

We played our last show as Crown the Lost on December 3, 2011. Farewell shows can often be cheesy and/or filled with false sentiment, but I feel as though we went out the right way. The proper scenario would have included all of our ex-members joining us onstage that particular evening, but geographical issues quelled that. However, Renaldi joined us for the set’s last two songs: “Bound to Wrath” and “Swear to the Peerless.” It was certainly odd seeing him sing alongside Leon, but such things were necessary to come full circle. The hatchet was effectively buried too, and while I don’t speak or see Renaldi very often these days, I’d like to think we’re on good terms. After all, the band wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t for him.

Our six-year run as a band was certainly a wild ride. Well, not “wild” per se, but interesting. All of it. When I started the band, I wanted to build something from the ground-up, a group that didn’t follow trends and had its own sound. I don’t think we ever ranked as “original,” but we were unique, and I am most proud of that. Furthermore, I am eternally grateful for those who supported us throughout the years, and I hope the fact our albums are readily accessible on this platform will earn us some new fans, and reconnect with old.

All of us are now doing our own (new) bands, but Crown the Lost is where we cut our teeth, took our lumps, and learned the ropes. It wasn’t right to do this kind of retrospective right after our split, but over two years after the fact, the run Crown the Lost had is something I’ll never forget, which makes sense to document it now, as opposed to when I’m too old to remember.

Thanks and thrash,
-David E. Gehlke, January 2014