| 36 Crazyfists - Collisions and Castaways |
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| Written by Maja Vanhalle |
| Thursday, 22 July 2010 19:42 |
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****1/2 Roadrunner Records With Collisions and Castaways, one of Alaska's finest exports is returning to the vibrant modern metal scene it helped forge. 36 Crazyfists has been around for a while, not quite as long as Slayer or Ozzy but still, sixteen years is worth something. Collisions and Castaways is the sixth full length album for these Alaskans, who are often known for their frontman Brock Lindow's distinct polarizing voice. Resigning with Roadrunner for the UK, the band answers the criticisms of the last album with one of their strongest, most personal and most melodic offerings for years. The album was produced by the band's guitarist Steve Holt and mixed once again by the legendary Andy Sneap (Killswitch Engage). As Collisions and Castaways starts, you are introduced to "In The Midnights" via an instrumental intro. Once the song kicks in, though, it really kicks in with a prominent double bass, a memorable hook, Brock's trademark clean vocals, and simply put heavy or melodic when it needs to be. "Mercy and Grace" begins in a very controlled way, but don't let it fool you, just as soon as you've grown fond of its slow pace, it shifts gear into metalcore overdrive. "Anchors" is one of the stronger songs on the album is. It can be diagnosed with a severe, yet satisfying case of multiple personality disorder as it moves back and forth from its crushing, up tempo verses to its sluggish chorus. This song changes pace so often it's nearly impossible to keep up with, the variation is exceptional and beyond the scope of anything in the band's prior work. "Reviver" is your standard 36 Crazyfists song, perhaps the reason why it's the first single of this album, but it just doesn't serve up any of the diversity found throughout the rest of the record. The track that follows, "Caving In Spirals" trudges along through the first verse and into the chorus with very little momentum."The Deserter" more than makes up for the pieces missing in "Caving In Spirals". It's a massive beast of a song which assaults your eardrums to the point where you doubt it could get any more ferocious. The last track, "Waterhaul II", a follow up to A Snow Capped Romance's "Waterhaul", begins and ends with captivating instrumental work that spans nearly half of the track and interjects midway through the song. The instrumentals combined with the alternating brutal and clean vocals make this song a pleasantly exhausting journey. 'Collisions and Castaways' is a fierce, dark, crushing collection of eleven tracks that rip from the speaker like a runaway train, this album is 36 Crazyfists at their best. The record was released on July 27th so go out and get it! 01 "In The Midnights" 36 Crzayfists | Roadrunner Records
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