(out of print)
I fell madly in love with Crowpath the first time I heard "I, the arsonist". I must've listened to that song twenty times in a row, I just couldn't get enough! The next day an e-mail was sent and I asked them to do a record with me and after only a few threats, they agreed.
It's been a long time since I heard something as brutal and powerful as this band, the madness is just relentless. If you somehow manage to catch your breath after a song of theirs, it's not long before the band comes crashing down on you again with their following two and a half-minute piece of chaos.
On this record they offer two new songs with a bit more groove than on their previous 7" (Scorched Earth Policy) but proving once again that violence can be fun.
Notes:
Problems with the cover delayed this record for a couple of months. Prior to the current design there were three different suggestions that weren't used due to a variety of reasons. I stole the color scheme from the menu of our local pizzaplace (Da Mario - forever in my heart) and the idea for the packaging came to me one sleepless night at around 4 am. The design was executed by Alex of Starscreamer.
A misunderstanding with the printers led to only half the amount of covers being printed and after that I decided that there weren't going to be any future pressings. The songs have been remastered and put on a CD compiling the band's early material, released by Robotic Empire. Check out the Crowpath website.
Reviews:
Aversionline
8/10 (<- that's the grade, wow!)
Here's a cool little 5" slab of vinyl featuring two tracks ("Knives and Sharpened Scissors" and "The Silhouette of a Bastard") from this insane technical grind band out of Sweden. Think tons of chaotic dissonance, brutal breakdowns, flurries of complex guitar riffing and intricate drum fills, slick basslines that jump all over the place and don't mirror the guitars, dizzying time signatures, caustic vocal screams… the works. But don't think crazy and nutty like The Dillinger Escape Plan. Think crazy and nutty with a bit more aggression and tact, perhaps like a darker and less refined Burnt by the Sun or something of that nature. The rhythm section is fucking intense. I'm loving it. And the songs are so fucking short you can just listen to them over and over. The recording is pretty raw, but it works out okay. The drums sound tight, the bass has a great tone with a lot of definition, and then the guitars and vocals get pretty abrasive. I think a little bit more control on the guitar sound and a bit of a smoother mix would benefit them because they really are quite technical with their arrangements, but some of the intricacies get lost in the shuffle, especially the wild basslines. It's very evident that these guys are musically adept, though. Damn evident. The record comes packaged in a sleeve that folds over to meet in the center on the back cover, slightly narrower than the 5" so that the edges of the record peek out from the sides. All of the printing is in metallic silver ink on matte black paper. The cover art is fucking awesome. Very minimal, very effective: Two knives with brass knuckles as handles, made out to look sort of like a fucked up and deadly pair of scissors. Inside the text is tiny and crisp, haphazardly laid out all over the place. Lyrically things seem very stream of conscious, "Failure coated with the finest tribute paid to cowards your whole life flashes in front of your eye when the door to the last exit slams your face…" Awesome stuff. Talk about a great debut release for the label. This band will definitely be turning some heads and giving the bigger names a run for their money in the near future. Count on it. Recommended. Just make sure your turntable can play records this small. Mine can't!
Running time - 4:30 (approximately), Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: both are great]
Ebullition
Crazy swedish metal.
Green Hell
2 Songs in schicker Aufmachung und kultigem Format. Musikalisch knüpfen die Schweden nahtlos da an, wo sie mit der S.E.P. 7" aufgehört haben - supervertrackter Screamo-Chaos-Metal. Converge lassen grüssen. Gewarnt seien allerdings diejenigen, die einen Plattenspieler mit automatischer Endabschaltung haben. Euch bleibt leider nur die schicke Aufmachung, hahaha.
Kullman, Fredrik
Den här skivan fick jag av Micke Epicac i september 2002.
Robotic Empire
Man alive, why aren't these guys huge yet? Brutally heavy swedish tech metal. So much innovative metal, hardcore and grind is crammed onto this tiny piece of vinyl. The artwork/packaging for this is awesome too.
Warprayer (this one's my favourite!)
The names of the songs are great, but the music is absolutely shitty! I fucking hate this intricate emo-screamo-chaos-metal-bullshit so much that I could puke every time I'm forced to listen to nonsense like that. This style of "punk" (huh??), which to me is the modern form of something called "free jazz", should be forbidden immediately!! If I'll ever have to define the word "shit" again I'll mention CROWPATH for sure!!