Kryptos Members 2026: 4-Piece Lineup + Albums

Kryptos, Bengaluru's heavy metal band since 1998: the 2026 line-up, all seven albums to Decimator, Wacken 2013 and 2017, and what comes next.

Key facts

Kryptos formed in Bengaluru in 1998, started by Nolan Lewis and Ganesh Krishnaswamy.
Seven studio albums, from Spiral Ascent (2004) to Decimator (5 July 2024).
AFM Records has released the band's albums since 2012, starting with The Coils of Apollyon.
Kryptos played Wacken Open Air in 2013 and 2017, and Metal Archives calls it the first Indian heavy metal band to play a full set there.
Kryptos became the first Indian heavy metal band to tour Europe in 2010, and the Force of Danger tour ran to 35 shows in 10 countries.
Drummer Vijit Singh left at the end of 2025, and Abbas Razvi (bass) and Vishnu Reddy (drums) joined Nolan Lewis and Rohit Chaturvedi for 2026.

Kryptos is a heavy metal band from Bengaluru, formed in 1998 by singer and guitarist Nolan Lewis and bassist Ganesh Krishnaswamy. The band has released seven studio albums, the latest being Decimator (2024) on the German label AFM Records, and in 2026 it plays as Nolan Lewis and Rohit Chaturvedi with Abbas Razvi on bass and Vishnu Reddy on drums.

For close to three decades Kryptos has played old-school heavy metal in the line of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, and it has taken that sound further across Europe than almost any other Indian band. Here are the band members, the albums in order, the milestones and what is next.

At a glance

Origin: Bengaluru, formed in 1998 by Nolan Lewis and Ganesh Krishnaswamy (Rolling Stone India, Wikipedia).
Genre: heavy and thrash metal, drawing on 1980s heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (Metal Archives, Wikipedia).
Studio albums: seven, from Spiral Ascent (2004) to Decimator (2024) (Wikipedia, AFM Records).
Label: AFM Records since 2012 (AFM Records).
2026 line-up: Nolan Lewis (vocals, guitar) and Rohit Chaturvedi (lead guitar), with Abbas Razvi (bass) and Vishnu Reddy (drums) (Metal Archives, Wikipedia).
Next: the Mediterranea Metal Cruise from 2 to 6 November 2026, and a new album planned for 2027 (Mediterranea Metal Cruise, Wikipedia).

How Kryptos started

Nolan Lewis and Ganesh Krishnaswamy started Kryptos in Bengaluru in 1998 (Wikipedia, Metal Archives). Metal Archives and Sonic Perspectives both note that the musicians had already played together from 1996 to 1998 as 8 On The Richter. Metal Archives says the name comes from a Latin word linked to catacombs and burial chambers beneath churches.

Lewis grew up in Kuwait. In a BankBazaar interview he said music only clicked for him when his family moved to Bangalore for a couple of years in 1990 during the Gulf War, and a neighbour gave him tapes of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and AC/DC. He moved to Bangalore for good in 1997 and formed Kryptos the next year. Wikipedia lists Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Coroner and Kreator as the band's influences, and that list still describes the Kryptos sound well: twin guitar leads, big choruses and songs built for a live crowd.

Wikipedia describes the band's sound as a blend of 1980s metal, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash, and adds Coroner to the list of influences. Wikipedia and AFM Records both single out Burn Up the Night (2016) as the album that fully recaptured the classic 1980s sound the band is known for now.

Kryptos band members in 2026

Metal Archives lists two core members and two musicians who joined for 2026. Its band photo shows all four, and Wikipedia describes the two newer players as the band's bass and drums going forward.

Nolan Lewis: guitars since 1998 and lead vocals since 2005, a founder and the only member who has played on every album.
Rohit Chaturvedi: lead guitar since 2006.
Abbas Razvi: bass from 2026. Metal Archives also links him to the Bengaluru death metal band Godless.
Vishnu Reddy: drums from 2026. Metal Archives lists him in Trojan Horse and as a live drummer for several other bands, and his profile at the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music describes him as a drummer and educator.

The 2026 rhythm section is new. The German magazine Rock Hard reported that drummer Vijit Singh had left Kryptos at the end of 2025. Singh had played on the band's recent albums, including Decimator, according to the Sonic Perspectives review of that record.

Former members

Kryptos has changed its rhythm section more than once. Metal Archives lists these past members.

Ganesh K (Ganesh Krishnaswamy): bass from 1998 to 2005 and 2013 to 2023, and vocals from 1998 to 2005.
Jayawant Tewari: bass from 2006 to 2013.
Vasu Chandran: bass from 2023 to 2025.
Ryan Colaco: drums until 2013.
Anthony Hoover: drums from 2013 to 2018.
Vijit Singh: drums from 2019 to 2025.
Ching Len (drums), Akshay Patel (guitars) and David Stephen (keyboards), with no years given.

The sources do not agree on every credit. Wikipedia says Robin Utbult, of Vicious Rumors and Sacred, recorded bass on Decimator, Metal Archives lists Utbult as a 2022 live bassist, and the Sonic Perspectives review names Ganesh K in its credits box but praises the bass playing of the newly recruited Vasu Chandran in the text. If you need an exact credit for one record, check the album sleeve first.

Kryptos albums in order

Release dates below follow Wikipedia's band timeline, with label details from AFM Records and Rolling Stone India.

Spiral Ascent (25 June 2004). The debut album.
The Ark of Gemini (15 May 2008). Released through Old School Metal Records. Rolling Stone India has described Kryptos as the first Indian metal band signed by an international label, for that deal.
The Coils of Apollyon (18 February 2012). The first album on AFM Records, which signed the band in 2012.
Burn Up the Night (23 September 2016). Praised, in AFM's words, for recapturing the magic of 1980s metal.
Afterburner (21 June 2019). AFM Records calls it the band's most successful album.
Force of Danger (1 October 2021). AFM says the band played 35 shows in 10 countries on the tour for this album.
Decimator (5 July 2024). Nine songs in about 31 minutes, released by AFM Records.

Decimator, the latest album

Decimator came out on 5 July 2024. Its nine tracks are Sirens of Steel, Fall to the Spectre's Gaze, Turn Up the Heat, Electrify, Solaris, Decimator, In the Shadow of the Blade, Pathfinder and We Are the Night, according to the AFM Records album page and Apple Music. Wikipedia credits Jamie Elton as producer.

Wikipedia says the album featured tighter and sharper songwriting. AFM Records released Turn Up the Heat as the lead single with an official video. Nolan Lewis told AFM the song is about going out on the town with friends, and the label described the album as a mix of classic 1980s metal and thrash.

Milestones and big stages

Opening for Iron Maiden in 2009

Kryptos opened for Iron Maiden at Rock 'N India in Bengaluru in 2009. Wikipedia puts the crowd at about 17,000. For a band whose frontman started on Iron Maiden tapes, it was a defining night, and it came only a year after The Ark of Gemini.

Europe from 2010

AFM Records says Kryptos became the first Indian heavy metal band to tour Europe when it went out in 2010. Rolling Stone India covered the band's later European runs, including the Coils Around Europe tour after The Coils of Apollyon, and AFM lists another European tour in 2014.

Wacken Open Air in 2013 and 2017

Kryptos played Wacken Open Air, the German festival that is one of the biggest metal events in the world, in 2013 and again in 2017 (AFM Records, Wikipedia). Metal Archives describes Kryptos as the first Indian heavy metal band to play a full set at Wacken. The wording matters: Radio and Music notes that Eccentric Pendulum (2011) and Zygnema (2012) had already reached Wacken by winning the festival's Metal Battle contest in India, so "first Indian band at Wacken" on its own would not be accurate.

Support slots and headline tours

AFM Records says the band toured Europe supporting Death Angel in 2015 and Sacred Reich in 2017, and played its first European headlining tour in 2019. The Force of Danger tour covered 35 shows in 10 countries, and a 2023 headlining tour took the band to new territories such as Spain and Belgium. In 2024 AFM announced the band's first headlining tour of Australia. Wikipedia adds Exodus to the list of bands Kryptos has toured with.

The cover photo for this article was taken at Huginns Awakening Fest in Ostend, Belgium, in 2024.

Home shows

Kryptos still plays Indian stages between tours, and Rolling Stone India has followed those shows for years, including the band's Bangalore Open Air appearances.

What is next for Kryptos

The Mediterranea Metal Cruise lists Kryptos on its lineup for the 2026 sailing, from 2 to 6 November 2026. Wikipedia says the band plans a European tour in late 2026 and a new album in 2027. No title or release date for that album had been announced by 24 October 2026.

Where Kryptos fits in Indian metal

Most Indian metal bands that have reached big international audiences play heavier, more modern styles. Bloodywood mixes metal with Punjabi folk, and The Down Troddence blends thrash with Kerala folk. Kryptos is the clearest Indian example of a band playing straight, traditional heavy metal and making it work abroad on a German label for more than a decade.

That consistency matters for younger Indian bands. Kryptos showed that an Indian band could sign abroad, tour Europe year after year and play a festival like Wacken twice, without changing its sound to fit a trend. For more bands in the same space, see our guide to Indian metal bands, our profile of Bloodywood's members and albums, and our review of The Down Troddence's Ayaktihis. For the city the band comes from, read our guide to the Bengaluru indie scene.

Where to listen

Kryptos is on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Start with Turn Up the Heat from Decimator for the current sound, then go back to Afterburner and Burn Up the Night.

FAQ

Who is the lead singer of Kryptos?

Nolan Lewis. He co-founded the band in 1998 on guitar and has also sung lead since 2005, according to Metal Archives.

Where is the band Kryptos from?

Bengaluru (Bangalore), in Karnataka. The band formed there in 1998 and is still based there.

How many albums does Kryptos have?

Seven studio albums: Spiral Ascent (2004), The Ark of Gemini (2008), The Coils of Apollyon (2012), Burn Up the Night (2016), Afterburner (2019), Force of Danger (2021) and Decimator (2024).