Formed in Canada, 1992, the band started out with the name Necrosis but soon changed it to Cryptopsy. The first and only demo was called Ungentle Exhumation and was released in the following year. In 1994 their first full-length was released, Blasphemy Made Flesh, and it gained them succes and a good reputation in the underground. In 1996 they released the classic None So Vile which was a huge succes and surpassed other bands in terms of brutality. Sadly, Lord Worm left the band after the release. Michael DiSalvo (Infestation) later joined the band and he was the perfect replacement. After an impressive live show at the Milwaukee Metal Festival the band were signed to Century Media Records.

With a new frontman and a record deal, the band recorded Whisper Supremacy which was released in 1998. They went on tours around the world and sales were up to 50,000 copies. Cryptopsy was becoming bigger and bigger and more live shows where played including the Dynamo Festival in Holland and several shows in Japan.

After a wealth of tours the band returned to the studio and recorded And Then You'll Beg which was released in 2000. In August 2001, vocalist Michael DiSalvo was replaced by Martin Lacroix. In 2003 they released the live album, None So Live, which was the last to feature Martin Lacroix as he left the band shortly after. His replacement was none other than the original vocalist, Lord Worm. In 2005, they recorded a new studio album entitled Once Was Not.

In 2008, The Unspoken King album marks the debut of Matt McGachy as well as the first and only appearance on a Cryptopsy album by Maggie Durand, as well as the band's departure from the death metal genre. The band instead perform deathcore on this album.

After being on a record label for their entire career, Cryptopsy decided to go independent in 2012. Cryptopsy released independently the eponymous album on September 14, 2012. The album marked a return to their technical death metal sound.

In 2015, rather than a full album, Cryptopsy released the first instalment (Tome 1) of a series of EPs entitled The Book of Suffering. The band has said that The Book of Suffering Tome 1 is some of the most brutal, dark and technical music they have ever created.