36 Crazyfists - The Tide And It's Takers
Artist profile:
36 Crazyfists
Release Date: 26/05/08
Label: Ferret Music
Rating: **
Alaskan metallers 36 Crazyfists ride the narrowest of Metal's many paths. Dependable but bland, proud yet unoriginal they've always relied on their genres more confident, dare we say talented, members to lead the way to which they edgily follow.
With every album comes their chance to break the mould and fourth album, 'The Tide And It's Takers' is no different. Where as their earlier offerings presented a band with a full blooded love for all things heavy, follow ups showed maturity in sound but somewhat still tagging along with the more popular brands and bands. How many times for example have you seen Lindow and co support the likes of Killswitch or Avenged off the back of truly great pieces of work?
Now with the aforementioned artists taking breaks between albums we have a period where 36 Crazyfists can stamp an authoritative mark on proceedings. What we have as a result is a solid but altogether confused sounding record. A constant fight between diverse heaviness and head banging melody, with the odd and unwelcome curve ball added for good measure.
Take 'The Black Harlow Road' for example, a graceful flowing, melodic song with a melancholic chorus to get bodies moving, but spoilt by the introduction of hardcore drum rolls and needless ear splitting screams.
'Waiting On A War' seems to find a balance only for the blinding intro and pulsating riff, transforms into a song with no direction whatsoever. The post hardcore breakdown halfway through is nearly embarrassing to listen to a refrain that's been used many times before with more effective results. Here it's nearly a desperate addition to a lifeless song.
New depths are reached with 'Only A Year Or So...' with the boys in dodgy experimental mode. Spoken word female vocals walk on eggshells over a Deftones like melody before Brock Lindow bleeds his heart out over another epic sounding chorus. It's not good.
While alternate music currently argues over Emo's increasing influence on sound, it would have been nice to get a grounding piece of metal to blow critics expectations. Unfortunately we have a record delivered straight out of the dark ages, unexciting and rather dated for its time.
The title track goes somewhat to nursing the wounds ending the album with a straightforward piece of stadium rock melancholy, easily the best thing here and proof if any were needed that this band is at it's best when not fucking around and over complicating simple and effective music. In a career that has so far been a gradual step forward for 36 Crazyfists, 'The Tide And It's Takers' has proved the band's critic's right and taken two massive steps back for Alaska's finest in the process.
Sam Tolley
36 Crazyfists Official Site
36 Crazyfists Myspace
Buy 36 Crazyfists CDs | Buy 36 Crazyfists mp3s | Buy 36 Crazyfists Tickets | Buy 36 Crazyfists Merch
Release Date: 26/05/08
Label: Ferret Music
Rating: **
Alaskan metallers 36 Crazyfists ride the narrowest of Metal's many paths. Dependable but bland, proud yet unoriginal they've always relied on their genres more confident, dare we say talented, members to lead the way to which they edgily follow.
With every album comes their chance to break the mould and fourth album, 'The Tide And It's Takers' is no different. Where as their earlier offerings presented a band with a full blooded love for all things heavy, follow ups showed maturity in sound but somewhat still tagging along with the more popular brands and bands. How many times for example have you seen Lindow and co support the likes of Killswitch or Avenged off the back of truly great pieces of work?
Now with the aforementioned artists taking breaks between albums we have a period where 36 Crazyfists can stamp an authoritative mark on proceedings. What we have as a result is a solid but altogether confused sounding record. A constant fight between diverse heaviness and head banging melody, with the odd and unwelcome curve ball added for good measure.
Take 'The Black Harlow Road' for example, a graceful flowing, melodic song with a melancholic chorus to get bodies moving, but spoilt by the introduction of hardcore drum rolls and needless ear splitting screams.
'Waiting On A War' seems to find a balance only for the blinding intro and pulsating riff, transforms into a song with no direction whatsoever. The post hardcore breakdown halfway through is nearly embarrassing to listen to a refrain that's been used many times before with more effective results. Here it's nearly a desperate addition to a lifeless song.
New depths are reached with 'Only A Year Or So...' with the boys in dodgy experimental mode. Spoken word female vocals walk on eggshells over a Deftones like melody before Brock Lindow bleeds his heart out over another epic sounding chorus. It's not good.
While alternate music currently argues over Emo's increasing influence on sound, it would have been nice to get a grounding piece of metal to blow critics expectations. Unfortunately we have a record delivered straight out of the dark ages, unexciting and rather dated for its time.
The title track goes somewhat to nursing the wounds ending the album with a straightforward piece of stadium rock melancholy, easily the best thing here and proof if any were needed that this band is at it's best when not fucking around and over complicating simple and effective music. In a career that has so far been a gradual step forward for 36 Crazyfists, 'The Tide And It's Takers' has proved the band's critic's right and taken two massive steps back for Alaska's finest in the process.
Sam Tolley
36 Crazyfists Official Site
36 Crazyfists Myspace
Buy 36 Crazyfists CDs | Buy 36 Crazyfists mp3s | Buy 36 Crazyfists Tickets | Buy 36 Crazyfists Merch
Comments
No comments yet
