Not only have doom/stoner/sludge legends Crowbar been around for some 25 years now, but they've also been damn consistent in that time period. The New Orleans horde has a new CD out, titled Symmetry in Black, and it's another winner to add to their already impressive resume. Led as always by vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein (who cast aside his duties in Down to re-focus on Crowbar once again), the current line-up of the band includes Matthew Brunson (Guitar), Tommy Buckley (Drums), and Jeff Golden (Bass). Don't expect anything really different here, but if you love Crowbar's ability to create massive riffs, plodding grooves, and bad-ass 'Nawlins attitude, then you'll surely love this latest album.
I mean, let's be frank here, with this style of music it's all about the riffs, and if the riffs aren't bone crunching heavy, slow, and massive, the formula doesn't work. Well, Crowbar have cooked up another pot of riff stew here on Symmetry in Black, starting off with the dark, ominous "Walk With Knowledge Wisely", and continuing on with the crushing title track, the sludge laden groover "The Taste of Dying", and the menacing, monolithic, Black Sabbath inspired "Reflection of Deceit". But wait, there's more! How about the raging, kicked up hardcore blast that is "Ageless Decay", the second cousin to "Planet Caravan" that is " Amaranthine", the monstrous "Shaman of Belief", and the grinding, groove-a-licious beast "Teach the Blind to See". And, just wait until you get a load of the thunderous "Symbolic Suicide"...doesn't get much better than that.
Though Symmetry in Black does fall into some of the traps that many of Crowbar's albums tend to fall into (too many songs, not much variety), you either love this stuff or you don't. Chances are if you aren't already a fan, Symmetry in Black probably isn't going to covert you and you might think it sounds like any of their other albums, but hell, if you love these guys and get enough of the almighty riff, this will push all the right buttons for you.
Track Listing
- Walk With Knowledge Wisely
- Symmetry In White
- The Taste Of Dying
- Reflection Of Deceit
- Ageless Decay
- Amaranthine
- The Foreboding
- Shaman Of Belief
- Teach The Blind To See
- A Wealth Of Empathy
- Symbolic Suicide
- The Piety Of Self-Loathing
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
