Big Return To Form
For many, 36 Crazyfists have become a bit of a nostalgia act - especially those looking to harp back to the early 2000’s. Whilst yes, their best material came from that period, and A Snow Capped Romance in itself did so much to build the ‘Metalcore’ scene to the size we see today - the truth is 36 Crazyfists hadn’t really gone anywhere - the problem actually being the fact that their output as of late hasn’t been anything to write home about, they’ve almost become guilty of plodding along a bit. But here we are in 2015 and the release of album number seven and 36 Crazyfists are about to barge their way back into the forefront of everyone’s minds because they’ve nailed it. There is a venom coursing throughout the record which beautifully counterbalances against some of the melodic touches. It’s heavy and in your face, just like 36 Crazyfists of old.
The opening track, Vanish (We All Disappear) alludes to this perfectly as Brock’s cleaner vocals soar over a crushing set of riffs - it’s both emotive and nasty. Whilst it feels like the band have regained their form massively on this record, they importantly haven’t tried to recreate anything done in the past. The tracks here sound fresh, like the band have genuinely gained a new lease of life. The cleaner vocals have definitely come to the forefront on this album, whether that is anything to do with Brock’s need to change vocally or him wanting to doesn’t really matter because he pulls it off well. To be honest, the fact that the harsher vocals have been used a lot more sparingly makes them sound all the more menacing when they do kick in, tracks like Silencer and 11.21.11 are testament to this.
The production on the album is also particularly good as the band sound incredibly tight and composed. The guitar work in particular shines through on the album as riff after riff pummels through to impose a constant groove which will no doubt go down very well live. Also check out that solo work on Also Am I!
Overall then, the band have definitely seen a return to form on this album. The discography of 36 Crazyfists has always been relatively consistent in that it peaks and troughs - this is almost certainly a peaking moment.