Crucifiction

CRUCIFICTION is a musical vehicle as brutal and precise as the works of art that inspired it. The singular brainchild of versatile multi-talent Salem Vex, CRUCIFICTION draws upon cinematic and literary horror to craft thrillingly punishing deathcore songs bent on power and revenge.

Based in South Florida, Vex is one-half of the industrialized deathcore duo Bloodbather, where the guitarist’s subversive gothic androgynous aesthetic beckoned listeners into a world of riffs and iconoclasm. The viscerally authentic and passionate young visionary also makes solo music in the vein of industrial legends Skinny Puppy and Ministry, earning accolades from Kerrang! and Revolver.

CRUCIFICTION is an opportunity to indulge his love of movies like Auditionand American Psycho via traditional deathcore tropes (familiar to fansof bands like Whitechapel and Suicide Silence). “I have such a passion and lovefor this style of music,” says Vex. “I appreciate so many different styles,which is why I do so many different things. CRUCIFICTION is my love letter todeathcore.”

As the sole musician behind CRUCIFICTION, Vex puts immense pressure on himself. He is hyper-focused on controlling his artistic expression with meticulous perfectionism and constantly challenges himself. As he put together an album of material, that dedication extended to artwork and story. Will to Power, his debut album as CRUCIFICTION, weaves a calculatedly deranged narrative in its songs.

“The album is told from the point of view of a man who is exacting revenge on all his enemies methodically,” Vex explains of the record’s storyline. “The main character's misinterpretation of philosophical works guides him into an extreme and pessimistic viewpoint of the world.”

Other cinematic touchstones swirled through Vex’s mind as he spunlyrics and ideas into a single Notes document, including Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Greg Araki’s The Doom Generation, and Se7en. The end result is a captivating musical journey driven by urgency, determination, and retribution.

‍Will to Power features guestappearances from Spite vocalist Darius Tehrani on lead single “VHS” and Alex Hill of Melancholia on album closer “No Salvation.” But it’s very much a snapshot of Vex.

“A lot of terrible things were happening in my life, to behonest,” he confesses. “A person was cheating on me—a bunch of crazy stuff. I was in a bad state of mind while writing the record. Working on it helped me get through those situations, exploring different emotions through a character.”

Like all those great movies, CRUCIFICTION is an exhilarating escape for its creator and audience. Thanks to a record like this, with all its violent charms, there’s that much less real-world damage.