With the arrival of Crowbar, which was formed by guitarist Kirk Windstein in the early 90's, the NOLA metal scene gained almost instant notoriety. Along with Eyehategod, Crowbar are credited as being true pioneers of the doom core / sludge metal sound that would branch out and influence countless other like minded acts, as well as Windstein's own side projects Down and more recently Kingdom of Sorrow. Now courtesy of the folks at Metal Mind Productions, the band's second self-titled release from 1993 has been given the proper remastering treatment it so rightfully deserves.
Featuring Phil Anselmo's (Pantera) aptly suited, basic, stripped down production technique Crowbar offers ten murky tracks that are absolutely brutal and uncompromising in their delivery. Together along with 2nd guitarist Matt Thomas, Windstein dishes out one crushing riff after another with surgical like precision. Tracks "All I Had (I Gave)", "Self-Inflicted" and "Negative Pollution" not only lumber along in their pure heaviness but they also reveal traces of a hardcore influence that would further define the bands overall sound and ethos. Windstein's tortured vocals are an equal match for these depressing tales of anguish and loss. In addition to the nine originals featured here the band tears off an impressive cover of Zeppelin's "No Quarter" which not only captures the dirge like qualities of the song perfectly, it also strips it bare and trims off the extended passages of the original, thus breathing new life into this classic rock gem. In Windstein's hands though the track truly becomes his own.
Crowbar features, hands down just over half an hour of the most memorable, drop tuned sludge infested riffs you're likely to encounter. In the minds and hands of doom core fans everywhere this has to be considered absolutely essential!
Track Listing
1) High Rate Extinction
2) All I Had (I Gave)
3) Will That Never Dies
4) Fixation
5) No Quarter
6) Self-Inflicted
7) Negative Pollution
8) Existence Is Punishment
9) Holding Nothing
10) I Have Failed
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