Crowbar – Zero and Below

Last Updated on 06:19 PM by Giorgos Tsekas

Genre: Sludge/Doom
Country: U.S.A.
Label: MNRK Heavy
Year: 2022

32 years of life in the mud, sludge heroes Crowbar don’t know how to change and mostly don’t want to change. “Zero And Below” finds Crowbar on album number 12…is that a remarkable thing on its own or not? Actually it’s an achievement when you consider how frequently their line-up changes (the latest one after the 2016’s “The Serpent Only Lies” founding bassist Todd Strange return to the band only to announce his retirement from touring in 2018 following the “Odd Fellows Rest” 20th anniversary tour however he still remains part of the Crowbar in studio). Here we see the band welcoming on studio bassist Shane Wesley that is already with the band since 2018. The rest of Crowbar’s lineup features drummer Tommy Buckley, lead guitarist Matt Brunson and of course Kirk Windstein. Once again we are dealing with Heavy as fuck compositions based on groove, slow tempos, down tuned riffs and crashing drums. The punk and doom hybrid works fine as Windstein’s clean and at the same time fierce voice is displaying an intense and ferocious aggressiveness turning the verses into a rain of razors. New Orleans Louisiana, Sludge Metal pioneers still use a plethora of swampy Black Sabbath and Pantera influenced ideas that has this mournful, full of emotions, monolithic sound and breakdowns motif that can smack your neck into 1000 pieces. Songs like “Bleeding From Every Hole”, “Crush Negativity”, “Confess to Nothing” and “Zero and Below” prove my sayings undoubtfuly…