CROWBAR — Broken Glass (review)

CROWBAR — Broken Glass album cover Album · 1996 · Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
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to "Time Heals Nothing" from 1995 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Craig Nunenmacher has been replaced by Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Down).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.
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