Sit Down and Chill with Us & CZYK on Their Last Tour Date of A Thousand Lives Tour
Phoenix-based metalcore band CZYK has been turning heads with their powerful blend of atmospheric orchestration, raw emotional energy, and massive riffs. From playing major festivals like Louder Than Life to collaborating with scene icons like Kellin Quinn, they’re rapidly becoming a force in modern heavy music. We sat down and chilled with Kyle, Cody, Dan and Sam of CZYK to get an insight of how the band got their start, how the tour has been, and new music coming up at their last show of the A Thousand Lives Tour at the 1720 in Los Angeles.
How's the tour been so far for you guys?
KYLE: “For it being our first tour ever, it has been absolutely insane. You know, all these all these people coming out to each show was completely unexpected. Yeah, Does anyone else have anything? I say that? ”
CODY: “Yeah, the turnouts were a lot better than we expected, and then the crowd interactions, what's really surprised us throughout the tour, and just meeting a couple fans here ended up being like, hey, we've known you for a couple years now. We've been waiting for you guys to tour. Like, really? I never would have guessed. I thought we were small.”
So let's start from the beginning. Like, how did you guys come together, what inspired the sound to be developed?
CODY: “Oh, yeah, this is definitely a question for me. So I started the band ages ago, like right out of high school. And eventually I asked Kyle, my brother, like, hey, you just want to join? Because I can't do vocals. And then shortly after that, we got Sam from a friend of a friend and then after that, same thing with Dan, friend of a friend, found his way into the band. But ever since we started, the goal for the music has always been the feel something. So like a lot of our songs, we really heavily emphasize on the orchestra and try to make everything sad or mad depending on the song. Like, because there's just a lot of music out there that you don't feel anything anymore. It's just like pretty bland. So we just really try to bank on the emotions and that's kind of how we craft our sound.”
So you bring up the fact that you guys are mixing that orchestra sound and everything like that. What drew you to want to do that besides feeling the emotion? But was it like a conscious decision or something that just came in naturally?
CODY: ”Okay, I'm going to say my reasons and anyone can add two reasons. Lana Del Rey and Architects. Like they both blend like orchestral music so well into their music. And I don't know. It just scratches an itch for me. So I've always wanted to add the orchestra, like into the music.”
KYLE: ”Yeah, I feel like as the metal rock scene continues to progress, I feel like more and more people are starting to utilize orchestrals in their music. But like Cody said, Architects were the main one. But for me personally, Starset, I think they utilize the orchestra so perfectly and it's orchestrated so well. That was a really bad joke. I'm sorry. Go ahead. But, yeah, I'm like, you know, obviously, we are always trying to expand the envelope of like, how can we keep expanding the sound progressing the sound? And utilizing orchestrals and then electronic elements, synths and all that stuff. I think it's working. And overall, it's just like Cody said it just adds that extra emotion, that really crafts the CUYK signature sound.”
You guys have songs, like “Forever and Always” and “Kill the Flame” that hit emotionally. Was that from, like a personal place where you wrote the lyrics or how did you approach writing them?
KYLE: “So ‘Kill the Flame’, I will be completely transparent. That was the feature NVRLSS. He did the majority of the lyrics for that one. Well, because Casey from NVRLESS, he really, like, just took the producer role and was the feature and just ran with it and really made that song come to life for us. ‘Forever and Always’, that's probably, if not the most authentic I've ever been with my lyrics, of just being as transparent as possible to the fans and trying to make it as relatable as I can be, while also making it broad enough to for anyone to be able to relate it in any scenario that they're facing. Let's tell the story behind it. Relationships are hard. And, you know, my current girlfriend, shout out to McKenna Cecil, she has been the guiding light for me and like my journey, like going into fucking adulthood at this point and like just maturity and everything and you know, just love her unconditionally and she's just been such a light in my life and I just wanted to write a song about her.”
You guys also recently did a collaboration with Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens. How did that come about and how was it working with someone like that?
KYLE: ”Oh, man. So the actual story is he used to do features quite often. And at one point he actually put his like feature submission email on his Instagram story. I screenshotted it like over a year ago and I just kept it in my camera roll. And I was like, one day we'll find a song that'll work. And then ‘Forever and Always’ came about and I was like, I think Kellin Quinn might be it for this song. And then, yeah, working with him super professional, super nice guy, and the turnaround of getting the tracks back and everything was super quick and just, I never thought I would have the vocalists of Sleeping with Sirens on my track ever.”
CODY: “What the fun story we like to tell, that was the real one. The fun story we liked to tell is that we did meet him at Aftershock. We went and saw their set and nervously waited for him to come off stage. And like we said hi and I was fangirling so hard. And we, I like to say, oh, that that's when that's how it all came to be, you know? We asked him dead there, but no, no, no, no. It didn't actually happen that way. Email.”
So you guys have been gaining some momentum since you guys have done major festivals, getting some airplay on Sirius XM. Was there a moment when you guys started to feel like this is real for you guys?
CODY: ”I'll quickly answer, but I feel like Sam and Dan should talk after this. For me, it felt real, like super real when we won the Louder than Life competition. And like, we were about to perform and I was just standing there like, wow, this is crazy. Like, I just remember getting so teary eyed. I've been teary eyed this entire tour, too, because I never thought I'd say that I'm pouring right now with my band, but yeah, probably Louder than Life for me.”
SAM: “For me, personally, it wasn't really anyone specific event of just progressively as we've, you know, taken strides and gotten better, just had my belief in the band grow stronger, although I will say I kind of always figured that we were going to make it somewhere from day one. So that was easy for me.”
DAN: “For me, it got real. Like this last week when I'm sharing a bed with Sam and we're touring and we're in the sweaty van and I'm like, okay, this is we're definitely touring now. This is real.”
KYLE: “For me, like Cody, I'll share the answer louder than life, winning it was one thing, experiencing it was a completely different ballgame. I'll never forget. We were playing our song ‘Paralyzed’ and I have a segment where we jump with the crowd and I turn backwards and on one of the other main stages at the festival, I saw Memphis May Fire playing and Matty Mullins was on the giant jumbotron and just performing in that moment and the realization of like, what's actually happening was so surreal and special.”
So what is a live show like for you? Like if you're a fan coming in here, like, what do you want them to experience? And how do you guys prepare getting on stage?
KYLE: “So when it comes to the Thousand Lives Tour, Taken by Tides was gracious enough to allow us to utilize the lighting package that they had already rented out for the tour. I was the one that programmed it and the main objective is to give them not just a band playing a show, but to give them a musical experience and just a journey of all the emotions that our songs provoke on people and also the performance from each band member, it's just like, we can either be headbanging in our sweat's flying all over you and then also can look like we're about to cry. Like, and just, just try to go through the rainbow of emotions and get people to experience that way.”
DAN: “Yeah, for me, I just like what Kyle said, like, I wanted it to be an experience, and I want them to feel like they're part of the band, like, like while they're there and they're just rocking out with us.”
CODY: “ I mean, you guys pretty much said the gist of it. Yeah, it's supposed to be like the emotional roller coaster, like, as we play it. And we have transition tracks to really set the mood too. But there's a fan in Albuquerque. No, sorry, Las Cruces. that said it best and she actually did say that. She was like, this was like an emotional roller coaster, like watching you guys play. You guys really captured a moment. it was. Yeah, it was a very moving set. So thank God that was the goal going into the tour, and I'm glad that someone felt it.”
You guys have performed with some pretty big bands who have been your favorite that you've played with or opened for?
CODY: ”Oh, no. That's a hard question. You know,. I think I would have to say. everyone in Tallah. Because they are such nice people and we played with them two or three times now. It's three? Three times. And every single time they remember us, which is even cooler, and they're just like, yeah, they're just so nice. They're like always, they always want to talk. They want to get to know us. And like, honestly, I just appreciate it because he, you know, I'm sure there's just some big bands out there that just don't care about you, but they make you feel like you're cared for.”
SAM: “I don't know. They've all been really good. It's hard for me to put any of them over each other. I mean, Tallah is a great example. I probably would have been mine if I went first.”
KYLE: “Obviously, Taken By Tides. When it comes to like massive artists, I would say the up-and-coming Sacramento band NERV. We played with them when they were touring with Secrets and from that moment forward, like we share contact information and anytime they've come into town or we actually play with them like our set time was right before theirs on the same stage at Aftershock Festival and like, it's just this instant like, you feel like you've known them for years and just that friendship is really cool. When it comes to like smaller artists Taken By Tides, taking us on the road for this tour, um it was just a match made in heaven. The camaraderie of all of the band and crew with us has just been incredible and we can have asked for a better first tour experience with anybody else.”
DAN: “ For me, one of the bands that stuck out that we played with was Veil of Maya, but for me in particular, because growing up, they'd always been like a massive influence. The guitar player I've always really looked up to. So it's kind of unreal just playing on the same stage as them on the same day. And then, of course, smaller bands Taken By Tides, they've been so good, good to us and I absolutely love them.”
When it comes to doing your videos, what's the overall creative vision that you guys want to achieve?
KYLE: “When it comes to our music videos. It's kind of just a song-by-song basis. There's not really a template of like where I want to take a song like visually in a music video. Man, that's a hard question. I'm trying to figure out how to even answer that. I mean, it kind of correlates with the live shows and trying to create that experience of whatever emotion the song provokes, I also want the visual aspect of the music video to do the exact same thing.”
CODY: “Yeah, it really just depends on the song, because we have a sound like ‘A Grave in Heaven’, where we're just like, yeah, just perform. It's cool. Then, like a song like ‘Without a Trace’. That one really tells a story. And that one had a lot more planning and pre-production. We have several meetings with our team like, hey, for these shots, can you copy this shot from La La Land? And, you know, I remember that conversation. For like ‘Forever and Always’ our team came up with the cool idea of like the story behind it. So it's honestly, it's just kind of everywhere.”
So when you guys look back at your earlier stuff and compare it to what you have released recently, how do you guys feel like where you've grown as a band?
CODY: “Oh, no... Besides mixing, because the mixing was awful back then, thanks to me. Our songwriting has just gone so much better over the years. Like, both lyrically, the structure-wise, and like the interplay between the orchestrals, drums, guitar, vocals has just improved so much that it's kind of crazy to think about like where we came from because not saying that any of our fans should ever listen to the first EP, you'll be blown away of how bad it sounds.”
KYLE: “I don't know why the band allowed me to be the vocalist for as long as I've been for how trash the vocals were in the beginning of our career. Kind of playing into what Cody said, just, you know, through the band members we've had and then to the current lineup, this is the strongest lineup we've ever had as CZYK and hope to keep it that way. Just, you know, myself as a vocalist, improving performance- wise in the studio versions and lyrical melody writing, everything, has been a little night and day. I can't even listen to our old music anymore. It's so bad. And then our drummer, Sam, for example, he originally joined the band as a guitarist. And then we had a situation where we needed him to switch the drums and we never looked back because holy shit, Scooby-Doo, he stepped up to the plate and it's been awesome seeing that growth from him. And then Cody, you know, from the catalyst of the band, he's always been the primary songwriter, visionary for the music and seeing him come to full fruition to the current day of just the songwriting and how to take a song from good to great has been amazing to watch. And then Dan joining us, I can't say that Cody and Sam are the greatest guitar players here to we're having Dan come in and really just make the guitars actually like shine in our songs and, you know, we've had songs like ‘Iridescent’, for example, where the solo is just soar because it was Dan's guitar playing.”
So what do we expect next? More singles, an EP, a new album?
CODY: “ Do you want a hint?”
KYLE: ”Evvntly exclusive. We are currently in the works of trying to create an album for the fans. We've been running with EPs and singles for the entirety of the band so far, but we want to be able to put our best product forward as a band and give fans more like physical copies like CDs, vinyl release and all that fun jazz And also bringing back to old songs and remastering them to modern day to give them the second chance because like Cody mentioned earlier in the interview, the mixing was not always great. So now that we finally have our shit together and we have a team that really makes our songs come to life for mixing and mastering, there's two songs that the fans are going to be blown away when they hear the remastered version.”
We love an exclusive. So do we expect you guys on the road anytime soon after this?
KYLE: “Unfortunately, we don't have any plans currently. I wish I was having a surprise. We actually did have something, but truthfully, I think right now we're going to focus on the album, try to finish that up. And I mean, hey, if any cool tour opportunities come our way, there's a chance we'll take it.”
So, technically, this is like my last question, but we pretty much tackled that where we were talking about how you guys want the music to impact everyone, the emotional impact. So I'm going to ask a little impromptu question. Name your guys' favorite current album right now?
CODY: ” Oh, God. Oh, if anyone has an answer right now that they can say, go for it, because I do not have anything, I need to think about it.”
SAM: “Basic bitch answer, but Even in Arcadia. Oh, yeah. Hands down. Best recent release.”
CODY: “It's going to be the same answer for me. Yeah, Even in Arcadia.”
DAN: “Probably the Alpha & Omega albums from Periphery.”
CODY: “So, looking through my stuff, looking through my music library, I don't want to say the same answer, Even in Arcadia, but there is an album that I view as an equal, but just emotionally, they provide two different things that I like. So Even in Arcadia by Sleep Token that can be explained for itself, but also the Big Ole Album, Volume One from A Day to Remember, I think that this is their best album in the past, probably decade, honestly. I can't believe, I can't believe it's 2025. Their past two albums have midnight, but that was before 10 years ago. No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, the Big Ole Album Volume One. Like, it's just, they just had fun with it, and that's exactly what we do as a band. Like, there's some songs that are just absolute filth and disgustingly heavy, but then you also have the more wholesome tracks, like ‘Flowers’ where I just immediately loved it.”
We would like to thank the band, CZYK, for taking the time to sit down and chat with us and helping everyone get to know them a bit better! With a sound as intense as it is immersive, CZYK is carving a unique path through today’s heavy music scene. Keep an eye on their journey—you’ll want to say you heard them before they hit even bigger stages.