36 Crazyfists
Bitterness The Star
Roadrunner
Hardcore-infested contemporary metal from Alaska, of all places, tackling all the usual subjects ranging from angst to love gone wrong, yet it’s much better and far more engaging than you’d probably expect. At the Drive-In will be sorely missed, but less so now that we have 36 Crazyfists, who do the same thing without really sounding anything like them. The album opens with the trashy, razor sharp “Turns To Ashes,” and what’s immediately, blatantly obvious is that not only are 36 Crazyfists the real deal – because you can’t fake energy like this – they also write quite brilliant choruses that’ll stay stuck in your head forever. You’ve probably heard “An Agreement Called Forever” and “Slit Wrist Theory” – or if you haven’t, you’d still think you have, because they’ve got melodies that seems to have been around forever, only they’re fiercely unique, and really, really good. And while there are a couple of misses – “Chalk White,” “Dislocate” – this album is still one of the finest hard rock/metal debuts in a good while.
Roadrunner Records: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com
