Musical contrasts as Identity

Post/Prog Metal from MV (FFO: Katatonia, Opeth, The Ocean, Mastodon)

Extreme contrasts have always defined the sound of „Coal & Crayon“.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the five-piece band from Northern Germany chose a simple self-titled name for their fourth studio album: „Coal & Crayon“ represents the ultimate distillation of their work to date. This concept is reflected in the album’s very structure: while the „Coal“ side embodies the band’s dark, aggressive outbursts, the „Crayon“ side reveals the quintet’s atmospheric, melancholic depth.

Pinning themselves down to a single style was never an option for the band. They are deeply influenced by genre-defining acts such as Opeth, The Ocean, Katatonia, and Karnivool. „Coal & Crayon“ fluidly navigate the space between intricate prog and massive post-metal, while also
making unexpected forays into genres ranging from pop („Ember“) to melodic death metal („Grace Of Collapse“).

 

„Where we come from, punk and hardcore dominated the music scene. We were practically raised on heavy, pounding rhythms, but we wanted to be more than that. More atmosphere. More unpredictability. More tension. That’s why we set ourselves apart musically.“ 

—Robert Lefold (Founder & Guitarist)“

 

The band’s roots lie on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen—a region not typically found on the map of progressive music. Coal & Crayon emerged in 2012 from the local, tight-knit punk and hardcore scene, formed by members of the thrash metal band Message In Blood. Their debut album, *World Asleep* (2013, 7Hard Records), quickly caused a stir in the underground scene far beyond the region’s borders.

Robert Lefold – Steffen Wolter – John Killies – Mathias Ruck – Norman Gäthke

LISTEN TO THE NEW ALBUM:

Various Tracks of the past

“Thanks in no small part to the variety of their sound, the ‘journey’ the band undertakes on „World Asleep“ proves to be a fascinating and thrilling one.” (metal.de)

“A sleeping world? Far from it! The young quintet Coal & Crayon, hailing from the Baltic
Sea island of Rügen, ensures that’s not the case. With spirited metal onslaughts […]”
(eclipse.de)

With their ambitious follow-up „KYRA“ (2017, Sportklub Rotterdamm), the band cemented their reputation for fearlessly tearing down genre boundaries. The reward: a top-10 spot in „Visions“ magazine’s renowned ‘Soundcheck’ chart:

“The concept is brought to life with meticulous attention to detail. Coal & Crayon break up
their metal outbursts with atmospheric, organic melodies.” („Visions“ magazine, 12/17)

““Kyra“ strikes a chord with the times without pandering to trends or letting itself be
dictated to by its influences. In short: this album is a masterpiece of musical artistry!”
(powermetal.de)

„Coal & Crayon“ have proven that their complex music unleashes its full force on stage, performing numerous shows and supporting renowned genre heavyweights such as The Ocean, Der Weg einer Freiheit, The Hirsch Effekt, DŸSE, and EarthShip. Their subsequent release, „Beneath the Moral Void“ (2024, Rügencore Records), further underscored the band’s uncompromising refusal to be pigeonholed.

Now, “Coal & Crayon“ are opening the next chapter with a new, self-titled album, set for release in October 2026 via their own label,„Teilchensturm“. Bolstered by new members Mathias Ruck (drums) and Steffen Wolter (bass), the five musicians present themselves as more mature, focused, and hungry than ever before. „Coal & Crayon“ are ready to once again push the boundaries of post-metal and progressive metal for themselves, proving that visionary art can emerge even from the provinces of Northern Germany.

„A self-titled effort the North German outfit embark a new chapter with two new members and with that a new sonic concept that materializes their namesake to its fullest extent where the Coal ‘embodies the band’s dark aggressive outbursts‘ and the Crayon showcases ‘the quintet’s atmospheric melancholic depth“ –

EVERYTHING IS NOISE!

Bandphoto by Tom Haagen
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Coal And Crayon - Post Metal from Germany
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PRESSKIT / CONTACTS

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Whether it’s a review, article, online write-up, interview, or booking inquiry—we appreciate any questions, opinions, or simply sharing the news. The following contacts are available to assist you:

PR: 

Sozius PR – Chris Breuer – chris[at]sozius-pr.de

BOOKING:

MAD Tourbooking – Jörg „Snoopy“ Schnorr – snoopy[at]mad-tourbooking.de 

Band:

Robert Lefold – Guitarist, producer and creative head of the band ( robertlefold[at]gmail.com | Mobil: +49 160 962 70 115 )

Norman Gäthke – Guitarist, Co-Producer, merch- and technic-expert of the band ( normandcrayon[at]gmail.com  )

John Killies – Singer and voice of the band ( jonidas83[at]gmail.com )

LIVE TECH RIDER

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„COAL & CRAYON“ is a live band. 

Since our starts in 2012 we delivered intense performances and captured the intensity of our albums perfectly on stage. This brought us support spots for a lot of well-known bands. Up until our hiatus in 2018, we played around 40 shows in North/Middle Germany and Poland.

Check out the live history below:

Coal And Crayon Prog Metal von Rügen und aus Rostock

John Killies (Gesang), Robert Lefold (Gitarre), Norman Gäthke (Gitarre), Steffen Wolter (Bass) und Matthias Ruck (Drums)

TEILCHENSTURM

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