[IMGLEFT]http://www.npearce.ultimatemetal.com/Crowpath1.jpg[/IMGLEFT]By Nathan Pearce
Crowpath is a band that will appeal to listeners of several genres of metal, but I suspect only a handful of those listeners will truly appreciate what the band has to offer. With music so harsh, chaotic, and explosive, a first listen to the bands latest, Red On Chrome, will reveal an eruption of noise. Drums, guitars, and screams fly at the listener from every direction with seemingly no sense of structure. HOWEVER, a close listen or two later and Crowpath will lay out brilliantly arranged and executed riffs and rhythms. The production is gritty and raw, but the added effect of this production helps create a band on the brink of self-destruction through controlled chaos. Crowpath is no Dillinger-esque mathcore band, though. They are very much an entity of extreme metallers on the verge of something wildly creative, fun, and dangerous. Oh . . . and I personally felt Red On Chrome deserved one of the VERY few 10/10 scores I will give out in 2004. I was able to get a few answers to the madness that is Crowpath from dummer Erik Hall.
For those unfamiliar with Crowpath, please give us a brief bio of the band.
Crowpath was started in the summer of 1997 by Henrik Ivarsson (vox/bass), Patrik Lundh (guitar) and me, Erik Hall (drums). It was just a result of boredom; we then lived in a small town with nothing to do but play music. We did two demo-tapes that no one has ever heard, except us and our friends. We did a split with a German band (Drown in Frustration) in 1999 with Björn Kvalvik on bass; he then left the band and Thomas Jansson took over his duties. We did the 7 and the 5 in 2001, I think. Thomas left and Dan Bengsson joined the band. Red on Chrome was recorded in June 2003 with Fredrik Reinedahl.
Did Crowpath start out down the aggressive, chaotic, grinding, technical death metal path that is on display on Red On Chrome?
No, not really. The type of music we do nowadays is pretty much a result of 7 years of practicing. It has just been a natural progress, since we have become better musicians and songwriters over the years. When we started the band, the sound was more straightforward, with influences from a lot of the Swedish hardcore bands as well as bands such as Pantera, Entombed, Sepultura and so on. There was also a slight touch of that Bremen thing, with Acme and those bands. I dont think that we ever thought of what the sound of Crowpath was becoming, it just got out of hand somewhere down the road. Deadguy´s Screaming had a huge impact on me. I didnt even know that metal could be played like that; its still one of my all time favorite records. That record and a bunch of other amazing records got us in to doing metal in a different way.
I can hear elements of such notable extreme music innovators as Today is the Day, Mastodon, and Neurosis in Crowpaths music. What bands influenced Crowpath to play this style of music?
Deadguy (see above), Today is the Day, Breach, Acme, Kiss it Goodbye, amongst others. I guess there has also been some death metal involved in the mix. These bands are what I would say have had the most impact on our sound. The Breach record, Its Me God is one of those CDs that just blew my mind when I first heard it. I remember that Henrik bought it, and we were listening to it. Man . . . I remember that I thought it didnt sound quite right, but it just felt so good. The music combined with that blurry brutal sound . . . since then I have had a really hard time listening to records with a clean production.
I have a very hard time trying to describe your music without the description being a huge let-down. Where do you see Crowpath fitting into the extreme music scene, and how do you describe the band?
Hmmm, I usually just call it metal, I guess we fit in there somewhere. The music is pretty much noise, fast, sometimes there is a little groove to it.
It seems Crowpath could potentially be a difficult band for some to get into, considering the abrasiveness of the music. How are the fans reacting to Red On Chrome and your music in general?
The response to Red on Chrome has been great. I think that a lot of people havent heard our music until now. Since our previous releases were only printed in small amounts and were only available through the D.I.Y. distros at punkshows, mostly in Europe. I dont think the average AC/DC-fan would like our music and would probably find it very hard to get into, but I think those who get into our music and like it already are into bands who do things a bit off. There have been a lot of reactions to the sound on Red on Chrome; some love it, others hate it, and thats great. I guess it takes some time to get into the sound of the record.
With such brutality on display in your songs, what is a typical live performance like for Crowpath?
Well, its pretty simple. We are not the type of band that is flying all over the place, but its not like we are all frozen on stage. Playing the songs as well as possible is always number one. Actually, I dont think that I can answer the question; I never remember anything of our shows. When I get of stage Im just blank. But I do think that Henrik, Patrik and Dan have some sweet moves; so I have been told. The show is pretty basic, playing the set with the most possible energy, and trying to do the songs justice live.
The production on Red On Chrome is probably some of the best Ive ever heard. The gritty, raw sound only adds to the fierce attack of the bands music. Please describe the recording process for Red On Chrome?
Well, we went to Gothenburg for 2 weeks to record the album and drank way to much beer. We didnt really have an idea of what type of sound we wanted, but what we did know was that we wanted it filthy and raw. No tin-can production. As we recorded the songs Fredrik and the rest of us experimented with the sound, after each new song he came up with a new sound and together we finally found this sound. Actually, we wanted even filthier, but I think it was good that Fredrik stepped in and just stopped the madness at times. I think at the time of the recording the sound was just total noise and we were so happy with it, but now in retrospective I think the sound got just a perfect dose of filthiness. When we were talking about what type of sound we wanted I think we had Breach Its Me God, Converge When Forever Comes Crashing, the early Autopsy records and the later Entombed in mind. Fredrik was just the perfect man for the job; he really put his heart and soul into making it sound different and brutal.
Willowtip Records is a fast-rising label of forward-thinking extreme music. How did you get signed to Willowtip Records?
Jason at Willowtip contacted us just after we had recorded the album and wanted a copy; so we sent him one, and he liked it. We werent really familiar with the label before we started to work with him, so we didnt know what to expect. But so far its been good.
What is next for Crowpath?
To do some touring, hopefully, and to get the record released in Europe. Since we live in Sweden, touring over here is way easier for us. We are working on some new songs. I really dont know when we will record the next album; some time next year I hope.
Any final comments?
Thanks for doing this interview with us.
Crowpath's Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
Crowpath is a band that will appeal to listeners of several genres of metal, but I suspect only a handful of those listeners will truly appreciate what the band has to offer. With music so harsh, chaotic, and explosive, a first listen to the bands latest, Red On Chrome, will reveal an eruption of noise. Drums, guitars, and screams fly at the listener from every direction with seemingly no sense of structure. HOWEVER, a close listen or two later and Crowpath will lay out brilliantly arranged and executed riffs and rhythms. The production is gritty and raw, but the added effect of this production helps create a band on the brink of self-destruction through controlled chaos. Crowpath is no Dillinger-esque mathcore band, though. They are very much an entity of extreme metallers on the verge of something wildly creative, fun, and dangerous. Oh . . . and I personally felt Red On Chrome deserved one of the VERY few 10/10 scores I will give out in 2004. I was able to get a few answers to the madness that is Crowpath from dummer Erik Hall.
For those unfamiliar with Crowpath, please give us a brief bio of the band.
Crowpath was started in the summer of 1997 by Henrik Ivarsson (vox/bass), Patrik Lundh (guitar) and me, Erik Hall (drums). It was just a result of boredom; we then lived in a small town with nothing to do but play music. We did two demo-tapes that no one has ever heard, except us and our friends. We did a split with a German band (Drown in Frustration) in 1999 with Björn Kvalvik on bass; he then left the band and Thomas Jansson took over his duties. We did the 7 and the 5 in 2001, I think. Thomas left and Dan Bengsson joined the band. Red on Chrome was recorded in June 2003 with Fredrik Reinedahl.
Did Crowpath start out down the aggressive, chaotic, grinding, technical death metal path that is on display on Red On Chrome?
No, not really. The type of music we do nowadays is pretty much a result of 7 years of practicing. It has just been a natural progress, since we have become better musicians and songwriters over the years. When we started the band, the sound was more straightforward, with influences from a lot of the Swedish hardcore bands as well as bands such as Pantera, Entombed, Sepultura and so on. There was also a slight touch of that Bremen thing, with Acme and those bands. I dont think that we ever thought of what the sound of Crowpath was becoming, it just got out of hand somewhere down the road. Deadguy´s Screaming had a huge impact on me. I didnt even know that metal could be played like that; its still one of my all time favorite records. That record and a bunch of other amazing records got us in to doing metal in a different way.
I can hear elements of such notable extreme music innovators as Today is the Day, Mastodon, and Neurosis in Crowpaths music. What bands influenced Crowpath to play this style of music?
Deadguy (see above), Today is the Day, Breach, Acme, Kiss it Goodbye, amongst others. I guess there has also been some death metal involved in the mix. These bands are what I would say have had the most impact on our sound. The Breach record, Its Me God is one of those CDs that just blew my mind when I first heard it. I remember that Henrik bought it, and we were listening to it. Man . . . I remember that I thought it didnt sound quite right, but it just felt so good. The music combined with that blurry brutal sound . . . since then I have had a really hard time listening to records with a clean production.
I have a very hard time trying to describe your music without the description being a huge let-down. Where do you see Crowpath fitting into the extreme music scene, and how do you describe the band?
Hmmm, I usually just call it metal, I guess we fit in there somewhere. The music is pretty much noise, fast, sometimes there is a little groove to it.
It seems Crowpath could potentially be a difficult band for some to get into, considering the abrasiveness of the music. How are the fans reacting to Red On Chrome and your music in general?
The response to Red on Chrome has been great. I think that a lot of people havent heard our music until now. Since our previous releases were only printed in small amounts and were only available through the D.I.Y. distros at punkshows, mostly in Europe. I dont think the average AC/DC-fan would like our music and would probably find it very hard to get into, but I think those who get into our music and like it already are into bands who do things a bit off. There have been a lot of reactions to the sound on Red on Chrome; some love it, others hate it, and thats great. I guess it takes some time to get into the sound of the record.
With such brutality on display in your songs, what is a typical live performance like for Crowpath?
Well, its pretty simple. We are not the type of band that is flying all over the place, but its not like we are all frozen on stage. Playing the songs as well as possible is always number one. Actually, I dont think that I can answer the question; I never remember anything of our shows. When I get of stage Im just blank. But I do think that Henrik, Patrik and Dan have some sweet moves; so I have been told. The show is pretty basic, playing the set with the most possible energy, and trying to do the songs justice live.
The production on Red On Chrome is probably some of the best Ive ever heard. The gritty, raw sound only adds to the fierce attack of the bands music. Please describe the recording process for Red On Chrome?
Well, we went to Gothenburg for 2 weeks to record the album and drank way to much beer. We didnt really have an idea of what type of sound we wanted, but what we did know was that we wanted it filthy and raw. No tin-can production. As we recorded the songs Fredrik and the rest of us experimented with the sound, after each new song he came up with a new sound and together we finally found this sound. Actually, we wanted even filthier, but I think it was good that Fredrik stepped in and just stopped the madness at times. I think at the time of the recording the sound was just total noise and we were so happy with it, but now in retrospective I think the sound got just a perfect dose of filthiness. When we were talking about what type of sound we wanted I think we had Breach Its Me God, Converge When Forever Comes Crashing, the early Autopsy records and the later Entombed in mind. Fredrik was just the perfect man for the job; he really put his heart and soul into making it sound different and brutal.
Willowtip Records is a fast-rising label of forward-thinking extreme music. How did you get signed to Willowtip Records?
Jason at Willowtip contacted us just after we had recorded the album and wanted a copy; so we sent him one, and he liked it. We werent really familiar with the label before we started to work with him, so we didnt know what to expect. But so far its been good.
What is next for Crowpath?
To do some touring, hopefully, and to get the record released in Europe. Since we live in Sweden, touring over here is way easier for us. We are working on some new songs. I really dont know when we will record the next album; some time next year I hope.
Any final comments?
Thanks for doing this interview with us.
Crowpath's Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
