Thanatos & The Archangel

Bio: Criminal Caterpillar is one of the few artistic rock acts in the lower mainland. Inspired by the old (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson) and the new (The Mars Volta, The Dear Hunter, Incubus, Radiohead), they strive to make progressive music unbound by the standard rock conventions of today. Each member of the band has chosen to pursue music as a career: Eric Wettstein, guitarist and lead singer of Criminal Caterpillar, is a composition major at Capilano University; Sean Mitchell and Malcolm Wanless study drums and bass respectively at the same institution; Kevin Britten, keyboardist and electronics sampler, studies drums and percussion at Vancouver Community College. Criminal Caterpillar uses this knowledge of the jazz and classical idioms to create rock music charged with a deeper level of complexity and structure. This debut album - Thanatos and the Archangel - was released on Nov 27th at Vancouver's Shark Club. A conceptual work, the album clocks in at 70 minutes, closing with an epic 30 minute composition split up into 6 tracks. Pieces of the album have been in work for almost four years now, being stage tested and re-written numerous times. Thanatos and the Archangel focuses on the life and experiences of Nathan, an insomniac who fears he'll die in his sleep from the war that is slowly beginning. Engineered and produced entirely by Wettstein, the album was able to retain every artistic vision the band had without compromising due to lack of studio time or other complications.