It started in 1993 in Riverview FL as a band called Shock Opera, with members Jon Ericson (vocals), Julian Serrano (bass), Keith Spears (guitar), Jimmy Sellers (guitar), and Jeff Hamm (drums). After a series of gigs and eventually some magazine articles (Jamm Magazine), the band was contacted by another group that controlled the trademark for the name Shock Opera (which was not fair because they were not shocking at all).
So in 1994, members Jon Ericson and Julian Serrano branched off to form Angry Kreyon name derived from a story that can be told later and moved operations to Brandon FL. They were joined by Danny Berriera (guitars), Justin Malenchack (guitars), and Ken Barlow (drums) and continued on. They had a successful series of shows, even beating out some national artist names in local battle of the bands, and were approached by a northern record label (Reindeer Records). But alas, it wasn t meant to be at that time. As many members had families and other things, playing out and fulfilling the dream became much more difficult but not impossible.
By 1999 Jon Ericson was the only remaining original member. Other members that came in and out of the studio where Jon was practicing and recording included Ron Harris, Mike Davis, Kevin Fisher, and more. Some came in and contributed parts; others helped work out arrangements.
Over the years the songs changed from the original punk feeling of the initial band to modern crunch metal, with elements of the kitchen sink (lots of styles have been played with). Old tapes have been unrolled and remastered to bring back older versions of songs recorded on VHS or old 8-track and 16-track analog recordings. In some cases they ve been digitally helped as much as possible to fix sound issues like clipping/overdrive, dropouts, and other problems. Overall they ve come out pretty well.
Fast forward to 2024 and Jon Ericson is finally able to start final mastering for a series of albums and singles to be released late 2025 to the world. These include songs from 30 years ago as well as new songs and all kinds of style changes along the way. There are also a couple of concept Viking metal albums exploring the journey from the long table at the settlement, to the battles of the south, and toward Valhalla but forcing Valhalla to wait, because they re not ready to die just yet. They d rather stay in battle! (A nod to Jon Ericson s Viking heritage.)
That brings us to 2025/2026 (present). The albums are being released to the internet through streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon, iTunes, and most major platforms. The website has been upgraded and updated, and has a secure connection certificate for the first time in 30 years.
Jon is getting ready to release up to 8 more albums in the next year as they are finished up. (Sometimes it s hard to get the right gear to work on the recordings no one has these old recorders anymore so work happens as access to machines and tools is available.)
Come back often, contact Jon and let him know what you think, enjoy the art made to share with the world, and if the mood strikes, buy some merch and help support the efforts while pimping some really fun gear! Shopify store: https://angry-kreyon-productions.myshopify.com/collections/all?page=5