SilentScream213 An unfortunate example of an album where the first (actual) track is far and away the best song on the album, and a bit misleading. After a moody intro, Crowbar open up Odd Fellows Rest with “Planets Collide,” their Doomiest song yet, with plodding atmosphere and emotional guitar leads paving the way for the destructive, pained vocals and lyrics. It’s a great song in evoking the pessimistic suffering when Sludge and Doom are mixed so well.

And then, almost all of the following songs trade this sort of atmosphere for a more Groove-oriented rhythmic chugging. Guitar leads are basically absent. Riffs are sometimes monolithic, but lack emotion. Rhythm section is more boring. The songs are still good, but pale in comparison to the opener and much of the band’s previous material. It does sound very 90’s and it’s got that stereotypical “we don’t need to write riffs if we chug” play style. Unfortunately this one was a big disappointment for me, especially after that first track.

UMUR "Broken Glass" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, New Orleans based sludge metal act Crowbar. The album was released through Pavement Music in September 1996. It´s the successor to "Time Heals Nothing" from 1995 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Craig Nunenmacher has been replaced by Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Down).

Stylistically this is Crowbar as we know and love them. Groove laden and ultra heavy sludge with lead vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein´s raw hardcore type shouting in front. It´s angry, it´s filled with despair, and it´s bleak, bleak, bleak.

"Broken Glass" opens with "Conquering" which is a relatively uptempo track, and it´s just not where Crowbar shines. "Like Broken Glass" works much better with its heavy grooves and riffs, "(Can't) Turn Away From Dying" adds some atmosphere to the band´s sound, and "Nothing" features sligthly more melodic singing (but that´s more or less the extent of variation). The remaining tracks on the album pretty much follow similar formulas (and simple vers/chorus structures), and while there are several killer riffs and heavy rhythms on the album, the tracks often end up sounding a bit too much the same. It´s nothing new in the world of Crowbar though and it is a minor issue, that the songwriting is not a little more creative and varied.

"Broken Glass" features a heavy, raw, and dark sound production, which suits the equally dark and heavy material well. It´s not an album where Crowbar have developed their sound or moved forward much since "Time Heals Nothing (1995)", but fans of the band won´t be disappointed and "Broken Glass" is overall a good quality release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Time Heals Nothing" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, New Orleans based sludge metal act Crowbar. The album was released through Pavement Music in May 1995. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled album from 1993 and features the same four-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically it´s also more of the same as there have been very few changes to the basic heavy sludge metal formula of the two preceding album releases. Crowbar continue the strictly vers/chorus structured crushingly heavy yet groove laden assault on the ears. Heavy and groove laden doom influenced riffs and rhythms and Kirk Windstein´s sandpaper raw (hardcore influenced) shouting vocals in front. He sings a few more clean (still pretty rough) melodic oriented vocal parts on the album, and those work well for the variation of the album.

Other than that there isn´t much variation between the tracks, and it is a minor issue that some of the tracks are hard to tell apart, because they are pretty much built using the same formula. Crowbar occasionally play a little faster, but the tempos are mostly slow- to mid paced and that does´t help further variation either. One of the features I´ll mention as a positive is how well Crowbar manage to balance aggression with the feeling of melancholy and despair.

"Time Heals Nothing" features a raw and detailed sounding production, which suits the material well, and the band are well playing too, so upon conclusion it´s another good quality album by Crowbar. The formulaic nature of the tracks and the lack of variation are minor issues but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

UMUR "Crowbar" is the eponymously titled 2nd full-length studio album by US, New Orleans based sludge metal act Crowbar. The album was released through Pavement Music in October 1993. It´s the successor to "Obedience Thru Suffering" from 1991. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Kevin Noonan has been replaced by Matt Thomas.

The material on the 10 track, 36:01 minutes long album continue the heavy and groove laden sludge metal style of "Obedience Thru Suffering (1991)", but the band successfully add a little more melody and a slightly more varied songwriting approach. When that is said, "Crowbar" isn´t the most varied album around, an a little more variation between tracks wouldn´t have hurt. Sometimes it all becomes a little too formulaic. Thankfully the skillful instrumental execution and Kirk Windstein´s angry despair filled vocal delivery often save the day, and you´ll find plenty of crushingly heavy riffs and delicious heavy grooves throughout the album.

"Crowbar" is a bleak album with a dark and depressive atmosphere, featuring lyrics which deal with pain, suffering, loss, and...well more suffering. Windstein comes off as quite discontent, combining his raw aggressive vocals with the occasional more melancholic tone. The album features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. So upon conclusion this self-titled release is a quality sophomore studio album by Crowbar. It´s obviously a lot more focused than the debut album, and the songwriting is generally also of a higher quality. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

BitterJalapeno Released in 2001, “Sonic Excess in its Purest Form” is the seventh studio album by Louisiana based sludge metal legends Crowbar. Listeners are presented with the classic Crowbar formula - their trademark slow and brooding brand of sludge occasionally interspersed with short bursts of fierce aggression.

This appropriately named album blends elements of previous Crowbar releases into a neatly packaged 45 minutes of sonic bliss sure to appeal to any fan of sludge. It takes the violent aggression of 1996’s “Broken Glass” and fuses it with the sorrowful “Odd Fellows Rest” from 1998 resulting in an extremely refined product and a wonderfully satisfying listen. The production is excellent – crisp, clear and warm with a ludicrously heavy guitar tone, enveloping the listener in an exquisite blanket of beefy riffs that are deeper than the ocean and powerful enough to move mountains.

For me, no other metal artist comes close to matching Crowbar in terms of the deeply emotional delivery of their music. The centrepiece of this is Windstein’s earnestly anguished vocals as he rasps and growls emotively over thick waves of immensely immersive and hypnotic music from the rhythm section.

“Sonic Excess in its Purest Form” is a contender for my favourite Crowbar album along with the aforementioned big beasts “Broken Glass” and “Odd Fellows Rest” and is, without doubt, essential listening for fans of sludge metal. I reckon it’s also a great choice for an introduction to the band for those unfamiliar with their work. Lastly, I’d recommend whacking the volume up full as you can. It will enhance the experience.