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CROWBAR :
LIFESBLOOD FOR THE DOWNTRODDEN

I've always kind of had a soft spot in my heart for Crowbar. I've never considered myself a huge fan, but their straight-outta-NOLA brand of Sludgecore has always seemed to go down pretty damn easy with me. They are the living personification of the now famous NOLA sound, you know, that brand of doomy, hardcore-ish, down-tuned, semi stoner Metal that also includes bands like Down, Eyehategod, Acid Bath, Soilent Green, etc. The band has been at it for thirteen plus years now, and other than a dozen or so band members, not much has changed in that time. The production on LFTD (which features Rex Brown of Pantera & Down fame on bass and Craig Nunenmacher of Black Label Society on drums) may be better when compared to "back in the day", but at the heart, it's still the same plodding, pissed-off sound emanating from the speakers in 2005 as it was in 1992. Which brings us to the problem. Ten or thirteen years ago, this sound was fresh and novel, and without taking it in new directions, it has grown somewhat stale. Now, many will sneer at that comment, as it's a rare thing when a band stays so close to their roots for so long, (we all have favorite bands that we wish never experimented, or "pushed the envelope" ...Metallica, Queensryche, we're looking in your direction) but I just can't help but feel indifferent towards Lifesblood. Sure it's still bludgeoning, heavy as hell, and has all the things we all love about Crowbar's sound, but the songs seem unimaginative, and just don't make the impact they should. It's as if they phoned this one in. Fans will still want it in their collections, but really, you could just pull out 2001's "Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form" and relive past glories instead. So, there's nothing really wrong here, it just seems redundant. Anyway, if ya want more info on these sludge pushers, check out crowbarmusic.com.
RATING = 6 Sludgecore (Released 2005)

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