The band signed to Metal Blade Records in 1995, releasing Deathshead Extermination (1996) and The Hollowing (1997) through the label before parting ways due to a lack of support.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Crisis underwent a transitional period from 2001 to 2002, experimenting with a more accessible version of its sound under the alias Skullsick Nation.

After reverting to their original name, Crisis signed with The End Records to release their fourth and final album Like Sheep Led to Slaughter (2004).

[3] Karyn Crisis, an experimental musician who had recently moved from Chicago to New York City,[4] was connected to Nasiruddeen through a mutual friend.

[5][11] Crisis sold cassette copies of the album at their shows along the east coast of the United States,[5] where they would spend two years touring.

[12] Prior to embarking on a nine-week tour of the United States with Pro-Pain and Voivod in late 1996, Waring left Crisis to focus on other commitments, including the upcoming birth of his child.

[16] Karyn, Nasiruddeen and Wang were unsure of what Crisis should do without a drummer; they contemplated using a drum machine and launching a side project of "4-track experimental stuff" whilst they searched for a replacement.

[5][23] Afterwards, the band recorded a six-track demo with Keith Falgout and contributed “Methodology" (from Deathshead Extermination) and a cover of Twisted Sister's "Captain Howdy" to Dee Snider's Strangeland (1998).

[22] Karyn said the addition of Hobson allowed Wang to play more traditional basslines whilst the guitars did more "atmospheric and rhythmic stuff".

[18] At the start of 2000,[26] the members of Crisis relocated from New York City to Los Angeles due to a lack of support from record labels on the east coast of the US.

[32][33][34] In July, Karyn and Nasiruddeen performed as session guests on the debut album by Debris Inc., led by Ron Holzner of Trouble and Dave Chandler of St.

[40][41] However, when Kilpatric failed to keep up with previously agreed deadlines for "reasons unknown to the band", Crisis parted ways with him in late April 2003 and recruited Josh Florian.

[47][48] Following a set of performances around New York in April,[18][44] Crisis toured the United States supporting Soulfly and Ill Niño from July 30 to September 17, 2004.

[52][53] Waring returned to Crisis to play on the Metal Movement dates whilst the band searched for a replacement,[54] although due to time contrainsts they were unable to teach him any of their new songs for the tour.

[25] In January 2005, Crisis announced Australian drummer Ryan Ball as Florian's replacement;[57] however, the band would dismiss him after only three rehearsals in mid-February due to immigration issues and "the chaos of his personality".

[18][58][59] In February 2005, Crisis cancelled a planned tour with 3 Inches of Blood due to the birth of Gia Chu Wang's daughter.

[61] In April 2005, Crisis made Arman an official member of the band and began working on new material for their fifth album, which they expected to be completed in early 2006.

[63] In September 2005, the band announced the departure of Wang due to family commitments; they planned to hold auditions for a new bassist in November.

[66] On May 2, 2006, Crisis announced in a statement that they were going on an indefinite hiatus for unspecified reasons, after which its members would focus on their personal lives and other musical interests.

[68] In an interview with Rocknworld shortly after the announcement, Karyn stated that the split was amicable and that "everybody [in Crisis] just decided to make their own personal decisions".

[1] Despite her initial reservations about returning to music,[68] Karyn began working on a solo album in Italy in 2008 with Davide Tiso of Ephel Duath,[72][73] with whom she would later marry.

[83][77] Her style has drawn comparisons to Babes in Toyland,[95] Hole,[96] and Mike Patton;[81] Eduardo Rivadiva, writing for Loudwire, described her as "a bridge connecting Jarboe to Julie Christmas".

[82] He lived in England from 1979 to 1981, where he was exposed to bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal including Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Diamond Head.

[6] She cited Björk,[4][97] Cocteau Twins,[97][98] Cranes,[37][98] Diamanda Galas,[97] Suzanne Vega,[97] Sinéad O'Connor,[97][99] the Sugarcubes,[37][98] Siouxsie and the Banshees,[4] Skinny Puppy[7][37] and Z'EV[37][100] as influences on her style.

[6][97] In a 1996 interview with Metal Hammer Germany, Nasiruddeen described the group as a "significant influence" on the band's "organic" and formless approach to music.

[98] According to Joel McIver, Crisis "stood out thematically for their penchant for challenging lyrics that addressed personal and social issues with an unflinching zeal.

[91] In an interview with Lollipop Magazine, Karyn said that all of the songs on Deathshead Extermination deal with "decayed emotional state, or paranoia, or pure rage".

[16] On Like Sheep Led to Slaughter, she avoided writing "self-confessional songs",[25] instead focussing on real world topics such as war, control, abuse of power, fake histories, and rape.