Crowbar – Zero And Below

7/10

Have you ever wondered how Pantera would sound when listening on a classic Walkman with some half-shitty AA batteries? If you do, try to listen to this album at normal pace and you will get a good idea. If you don´t, then maybe lend an ear anyway and try to enjoy the doom and gloom that is Crowbar.

In true fashion, this is not (as you probably gathered) a fast album. Clocking in at almost 43 minutes but when you get dragged down by the tempo it can feel a bit longer.

That said, time does not feel long because of boredom. The album has good and interesting songs, but you do feel like you want to crank the tempo here and there.

Kurt Windstein might be the only vocalist in the world that I can tolerate singing like he is severely constipated. I usually gag and turn off the music as soon as the all familiar constipation voice comes on. But I have liked the vocals from Crowbar-Kurt from the first time I heard them. Which was on MTV and Beavis & Butthead program.

What Crowbar also do well in my book is the guitar sound. I love it. It´s that cozy mix between barbwire, punk-ish sound and utilizing it to perfection with the heavy solemn riffing from start to finish.

You just have to love titles like “Bleeding from every hole”. The song is sort of mid-tempo. Cool bass intro. And because it comes a bit into the album you almost feel it is speed metal for a while. But we shift to lower tempo here and there in the song. Top track of the album for me.

This is an album with no surprises whatsoever. That I am quite pleased about. This is one band I don´t really want to see evolve more than continuing to write slow songs with heavy riffs. What´s not to like, like?

Band: Crowbar
Title: Zero And Below
Label: SPV
Date of release: 2022-03-04
Rate: 7/10
Stand Out Track: Bleeding From Every Hole
Country of Origin: USA
Playing Time: 42:48