Kreyson is a Czech metal band founded in Prague in 1989 by Ladislav Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek (Vitacit, Citron, Damiens) after leaving the band Citron. He was joined by Jaroslav Bartoà Â, also from Citron, (Arakain), Robert Vondrovic (Arakain), and Karel Adam (Moped).
In 1990, Kreyson recorded their debut album AndÃÂl na útÃÂku (Angel on the run) in a studio in Hanover with producer Jan NÃÂmec. Its initial pressing of 45,000 copies sold out within three days. The album went gold after selling 150,000 copies and eventually sold over a quarter of a million copies. Three singles were released off the album: "Vzdálená" (Far away, or "Faraway" on the English version), "ÃÂarovná noc" (Magical night, or "Deep in the Night" on the English version), and "Nejde vrátit ÃÂas" (Can't turn back time, or "I Need You" on the English version), all of which were successful in the charts. An English version of the album, titled Angel on the Run, came out the same year. Upon the success of Kreyson's first album, Ladislav Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek released his first solo record, titled Zlatej chlapec (Golden boy), in 1991. The rest of the band accompanied him on this record as well, though by this point Robert Vondrovic had been replaced by Daniel Hafstein (Motorband) and Libor MatejÃÂÃÂk (Motorband) took over guitar duties from Daniel Krob a year later.
In 1992, Kreyson released their second studio album, titled Kà Âià ¾Ã¡ci (Crusaders). The record saw a shift towards faster, more speed metal-oriented tracks. As with Angel on the Run, an English version of this album was released, titled Crusaders. This album also attained gold status.
1993 saw the release of Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek's second solo album, KlÃÂàk mé duà ¡i (Key to my soul), and Kreyson's third studio album, ElixÃÂr à ¾ivota (Elixir of life). This record did not prove to be as successful as the band's previous two efforts, though it did not sell poorly either. Jaroslav Bartoà  played only a few solos on the album, and the majority of the guitar tracks were recorded by Petr Henych.
The band's next effort, Zákon dà ¾ungle (Law of the jungle) was released in 1995, though by this point they were no longer signed to Tommü Records, which had released their previous albums. A follow-up album was planned, but it never materialized and the band subsequently went on a 10-year hiatus after issuing a compilation album titled The best of, in 1996.
During this time, Ladislav Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek continued touring, working on solo material, as well as taking part in other musical projects. In 2006, in anticipation of bringing Kreyson back, Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek launched a contest to select new band members. This culminated in a new lineup consisting of Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek on vocals, Jaroslav Bartoà  returning on lead guitar, Radek "Reddy" Kroc on second guitar, Honza Kirk BÃÂhunek on third guitar (a first for a Czech metal band), LudÃÂk Adámek on bass (Adámek had briefly played with the band in 1993), and Zdenek Pradlovský on drums. The band played a pre-launch show on 17 March 2007, which was broadcast live on Czech television from Ostrava's ÃÂEZ Aréna, during which they were joined on stage by Germany's Doro Pesch. In June 2007, Kreyson filmed their first live album, titled Kreyson â Tà Âinec live, at the Noc Plná HvÃÂzd (Star-studded night) international music festival in Tà Âinec. They followed this with a successful tour of Czechia, Germany, and Switzerland in December 2007, together with Doro. Honza Kirk BÃÂhunek left the band around this time.
Kreyson began recording their fifth studio album, Návrat krále (Return of the king), in the spring of 2011. Two singles were released before funds ran out and recording stopped. A new drummer also had to be found after Zdenek Pradlovský left, and Michal DanÃÂk joined the band. With help from sponsors, Kreyson got the opportunity to continue the recording abroad, and they set out for Andy LaRocque's (King Diamond) studio in Varberg, Sweden in 2013. The entire album was thus recorded in LaRocque's Sonic Train Studios, and the artwork for it was done by famed English illustrator Mark Wilkinson (Marillion, Fish, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden). The album was released in October 2013, and subsequently gained gold status.
In 2016, Kreyson founding member and former guitarist Daniel Krob reached out to a few of his previous bandmates with the idea of a tour commemorating 25 years since the release of the band's debut album AndÃÂl na útÃÂku. The eventual lineup of this live act would be Krob on guitar, Robert Vondrovic on drums, Radek "Reddy" Kroc on second guitar, Petr "Doldy" Dolének on vocals, Stanislav "Jokki" Jokiel on bass, and Marek "Elrin" Svoboda on keyboards. Other former members of Kreyson were set to join the band on stage, including Jaroslav Bartoà  and Karel Adam. Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek was also approached with the offer of joining but declined, citing his renewed commitment to the band Citron. The ensemble, going by the name Kreyson Memorial, began playing shows, and in 2019 they released their first album, a set of original tracks titled StrÃ¡à ¾ci plamenà ¯ (Guardians of the flames). Their current lineup consists of Krob, Kroc, Vondrovic, and Dolének, as well as Petr Formánek on bass.
In May 2017, Ladislav Kà ÂÃÂà ¾ek announced a new lineup for his band, this time with international contributions from German guitarist Roland Grapow (Helloween, Masterplan) and American drummer Mike Terrana (Rage, Masterplan). The band was further fleshed out by Michal Kà ¯s (Eagleheart) on guitar and Jià ÂÃÂà"George"àRainà(Citron, Sebastien) on bass. They began to play shows and festivals, and a new album was discussed. Roland Grapow announced his departure from Kreyson in 2019.
Current members
Past members