Crucial Velocity: Crucial Velocity

Boasting among their number Matt Thompson (King Diamond) drums, Michael Harris (Chastain/Harris, Thought Chamber, Darkology, solo artist) on guitar, Shaolin Death Squad vocalist Androo O’Hearn and songwriter/guitarist Nate Bauer among their number, this self-titled effort from Crucial Velocity may well be the band’s debut, but it arrives with some pedigree. Lyrically it also reads like a chronicle of our times, the Ukrainian war, mental illness, loss and ahh….. human cadaver dissection all topics discussed intelligently. Musically things aren’t quite so heavy - or at least not initially - the Crucial Velocity attack landing in that ever more crowded area of restrained but melody driven doom and metal. There are riffs aplenty as “Sins Of Pilate� winds its way into your mind, but they are nuanced, slow, deliberate and memorable. Nothing here is played for shock value or a quick pay off and I must admit that on first encounter I was pretty much underwhelmed by the whole experience. Repeat visits however have shown a completely different side to proceedings, the clever build and strong song construction of “The Waiting� marking it out as slow burner that suddenly shine with real intensity. The guitar work is excellent and the layered vocals prove mesmeric and something of a delight, even if the overall mood is much more gloomy.

From the slow, determined “Secret� to the bulging guitars, powering drums and flowing vocals of “Run�, the longer you live with these songs the more impact they have. Full of clever little twists and turns and able to deliver a far harder hammer smash than the actual music itself moves with, the results are long lasting, impressive and truly immersive. As debuts go, this really is pretty special, Crucial Velocity already sounding like a veteran act, completely sure of their purpose and position, and with a clear, but forceful sound, courtesy of the mixing and mastering of Gary Long, there really isn’t a foot set wrong. Fans of the more progressive end of the doom spectrum really should be all over this, but there’s also enough going on to snare followers of the likes of Opeth and maybe even a lighter-touched Black Sabbath. In short, Crucial Velocity come highly recommended.

Track Listing
1. Lilium
2. Sins Of Pilate
3. Serpent
4. Savior
5. The Waiting
6. Invincible
7. Secret
8. Visitors
9. Run
10. Darkness
11. A Memory

Added: May 20th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Crucial velocity online
Hits: 1403
Language: english

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