News of Lacroix’s passing was shared on social media by his collaborators. Cryptopsy called their late vocalist “a formidable presence” in the band, writing, “His brutal vocals, artistic prowess, and his warmth as a human will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Lacroix performed with Cryptopsy between 2001 and 2003. His vocals appear on 2003 concert recording None So Live, which captures a Cryptopsy set at now-shuttered Montreal nightclub and concert venue Le Medley.
Outside of his time with Cryptopsy, Lacroix pursued visual art as a graphic designer and tattooist, maintaining his ties to Canadian heavy music in the process. He designed a band logo and created album artwork for Val-d’Or, QC, technical death metal outfit Spasme in the early oughts, and following his departure from Cryptopsy, created the cover artwork and accompanying illustrations for the band’s fifth LP, Once Was Not.
Lacroix’s visual credits also include work for Quebec metal outfits, including Augury, Vengeful, Humanoid, Intonate, Akurion and Gorguts — crafting the artwork for that final band’s 2013 LP Colored Sands, which Exclaim! named one of the Best Canadian Albums of the 2010s.
In a Facebook post made last year commemorating the tenth anniversary of Colored Sands, Lacroix shared how he was inspired to pursue art after seeing the cover of Gorguts’ 1993 album The Erosion of Sanity at age 17. He explained how he came to know Gorguts co-founder Luc Lemay after he “tattooed him for many sessions,” and how, after Lemay asked him to create a series of 12 paintings for the release, “It felt like life gives you a little tap on your shoulder, sayin’, “You’ve [made] the good choice 30 years ago.”
“Martin was not only a gifted artist but also a close companion of Luc, residing nearby in Sherbrooke,” Gorguts wrote in tribute on Facebook. “Lacroix, a dedicated Gorguts fan, crafted the HarpSkull design for our shirts and later contributed to the entire artwork of Colored Sands (2013) on Season of Mist and some pieces for …And Then Comes Lividity: A Demo Anthology (2014) on War on Music Records. The scene has lost a precious gem, and he will always be remembered.”
