Album Review: Crowbar - Zero and Below
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
There are certain bands who have a definitive sound that when you hear their music it is unmistakably them and Crowbar are one such band. Forming back in 1990, Crowbar are easily the architects of the NOLA sludge metal sound and have remained true to themselves over their 30 year plus career. This is true even now and can be attested to with the bands twelfth full length album Zero And Below.
Crowbar are a band that have rarely (if ever) strayed from their core sound which is crushing doomy riffs and bags of groove mixed with emotional outpourings and a melodic sensibility. It is a sound that has served the band well and one they stick to throughout Zero And Below. It’s a classic case of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and Crowbar certainly aren’t playing by the numbers or phoning it in as the material on Zero And Below is as effective as ever.
Songs such as Confess To Nothing, Chemical Godz and Crush Negativity tick all the boxes on what makes a killer Crowbar song though the album peaks with Denial Of The Truth which is utterly doomladen, crushingly heavy and emotionally raw. The vocals by Kirk Windstein are as gravelly and emotionally raw as ever and match so well with the crushing riffs he and guitarist Matthew Brunson send lumbering out of the speakers. The rhythm section of bassist Shane Wesley and drummer Tommy Buckley also crush and sound fantastic due to a fantastic production, mix and mastering.
Zero And Below is another fine album from Crowbar and continues the run of really strong albums the band started with Sever The Wicked Hand in 2011 though it’s also fair to say that throughout their discography Crowbar haven’t put a foot wrong. The band sticks to what they have been doing for the past 30 plus years and it is still as crushingly heavy as ever. All hail the riff!
