Crowbar
stalled out after the 2001 LP
Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form
. Leader
Kirk Windstein
was dealing with
Down
, membership was in flux, and
's infamous label woes were a constant headache. But the long-running New Orleans
sludge metal
outfit wasn't going to go out like that, and
Windstein
started the resuscitation process in summer 2003. He tapped original drummer
Craig Nunemacher
, and
Pantera
vet
Rex Brown
offered to handle bass and production.
Down II
producer
Warren Riker
also signed on. The result is
Lifesblood for the Downtrodden
, a typically pummeling tribute to the Art of the Riff, but an album that also finds new methods of mayhem.
's vocals never waver from a raging and vengeful wronged-soul growl. But his guitar work searches out tense melodies amidst the animalistic main riffs, and
Nunemacher
and
Brown
are relentlessly rhythmic without sacrificing dynamics.
"Slave No More"
's slight shifts of time signature are incredible, increasing the song's power while highlighting its pained chorus.
"Coming Down"
suggests
the Deftones
,
"Fall Back to Zero"
shuttles between a swirling limbo of sorrow and an explosively percussive chorus, and
"Dead Sun"
alters the tempos yet again behind one of the album's most ferocious
riffs. (The guitar line, roughly tabbed: "Da-na-da-na-DA-naah-[space]-da-deh-deh-deh-deh....")
Lifesblood
isn't an album to change minds about
. It spits out chunks of sludgy
metal
with plain and simple intent, just like all the band's records have. It gives
the room and the reason to scream oaths like "I got a call to rule the underworld -- that passion burns in me" and "Dirt underneath me but light up above/Destroy what's in your way and never lose love for yourself." It's
's return to recording, and fans will love it. ~ Johnny Loftus