Crowpath Red On Chrome
Willowtip Records WT-030 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Holy gods of Swedish metal!!! Apparently Sweden isnt limited to black metal, melodic death metal, and slick grindcore. In fact, Crowpath is an amazing and refreshing departure from the norm for metal bands not only in Sweden, but worldwide as well. Let me put it this way. How would you like to have a handful of scorpions stuffed down your throat, followed by severe beatings to the head, limbs, and torso, and finally a red-hot iron to the eyes? Sound fun? Yes . . . I thought so.
Crowpaths Red On Chrome is essentially the most extreme and ferocious technical death metal album ever recorded. But to truly understand the brilliance of Red On Chrome, one must look to such notable modern classics as Neurosis Through Silver In Blood, Today is the Days In The Eyes Of God, and Mastodons Remission. All of the aforementioned albums pushed extreme music forward in one way or another, just as Crowpath has done with Red On Chrome. Whether it is through abrasive and spastic riffing, pummeling and violent song arrangements, or universe crushing atmosphere, Crowpath is leaving nothing to chance. Red On Chrome is forging new ground in all areas of modern extreme metal.
Crowpath takes a very proficient technical metal background and absolutely demolishes their instruments with an uncanny knack for harnessing chaos. The instrumentation is actually so monstrous and warped on Red On Chrome, the first listen almost seemed like Id just been run over by a battalion of military tanks running at full boar. However, after a few listens, songs start to form out of pure, sickening, raucous chaos . . . and what a beautiful chaos it is! There isnt a trace of melody to be found on Red On Chrome, and, in fact, its almost painful to try to pick apart the explosion of sound coming from the speakers throughout the entire album. The production is abrasive, and only adds to the violence of the music. Hell . . . I had to actually do some research to make sure there was only one drummer in this band; it sounds like theres twelve!
For a band to take extreme metal and twist, fracture, and implode it with such an amazing display of innovation, I am in complete awe of Crowpath. Red On Chrome is much too amazing an album to be limited with tags like extreme technical death metal or technical noisecore. Red On Chrome is the rare album that comes along and destroys everything you thought you understood about extreme metal to begin with . . . and with that destruction comes a rebirth. Crowpath has just created a masterpiece of modern extreme metal.
10/10
Crowpaths Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
Willowtip Records WT-030 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Holy gods of Swedish metal!!! Apparently Sweden isnt limited to black metal, melodic death metal, and slick grindcore. In fact, Crowpath is an amazing and refreshing departure from the norm for metal bands not only in Sweden, but worldwide as well. Let me put it this way. How would you like to have a handful of scorpions stuffed down your throat, followed by severe beatings to the head, limbs, and torso, and finally a red-hot iron to the eyes? Sound fun? Yes . . . I thought so.
Crowpaths Red On Chrome is essentially the most extreme and ferocious technical death metal album ever recorded. But to truly understand the brilliance of Red On Chrome, one must look to such notable modern classics as Neurosis Through Silver In Blood, Today is the Days In The Eyes Of God, and Mastodons Remission. All of the aforementioned albums pushed extreme music forward in one way or another, just as Crowpath has done with Red On Chrome. Whether it is through abrasive and spastic riffing, pummeling and violent song arrangements, or universe crushing atmosphere, Crowpath is leaving nothing to chance. Red On Chrome is forging new ground in all areas of modern extreme metal.
Crowpath takes a very proficient technical metal background and absolutely demolishes their instruments with an uncanny knack for harnessing chaos. The instrumentation is actually so monstrous and warped on Red On Chrome, the first listen almost seemed like Id just been run over by a battalion of military tanks running at full boar. However, after a few listens, songs start to form out of pure, sickening, raucous chaos . . . and what a beautiful chaos it is! There isnt a trace of melody to be found on Red On Chrome, and, in fact, its almost painful to try to pick apart the explosion of sound coming from the speakers throughout the entire album. The production is abrasive, and only adds to the violence of the music. Hell . . . I had to actually do some research to make sure there was only one drummer in this band; it sounds like theres twelve!
For a band to take extreme metal and twist, fracture, and implode it with such an amazing display of innovation, I am in complete awe of Crowpath. Red On Chrome is much too amazing an album to be limited with tags like extreme technical death metal or technical noisecore. Red On Chrome is the rare album that comes along and destroys everything you thought you understood about extreme metal to begin with . . . and with that destruction comes a rebirth. Crowpath has just created a masterpiece of modern extreme metal.
10/10
Crowpaths Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
