It’s a rainy dreary night in Atlanta as the time approaches for me to head out to see the reigning kings of sludge, the almighty Crowbar. I could feel the anticipation building up as I got in my car and headed over to the tiny Drunken Unicorn to meet a friend. I hadn’t seen Crowbar since 1995. What was I to expect? For those that don’t know who Crowbar is, they are the reigning kings of sludge metal from New Orleans. “What does Crowbar sound like?” Well, if I had to describe what Crowbar sounds like I would have to say, “They sound like New Orleans. Thick, dark, heavy, muggy yet full of heart and passion.” Listening to Crowbar is like drudging through the muddy Mississippi as if it was filled with molasses. That is how I would describe Crowbar in a nutshell and trust me, this is a good thing.
The place was packed and as singer/guitarist Kirk Windstien took the stage the place erupted with a roar from the crowd. Kirk addressed the crowd and then without much of a pause the band kicked right into “Burn Your World.” Right away it was apparent to me that these guys still fucking had it. Even though it was a completely different lineup than the last time I saw them, these guys were just slaying it. Kirk addresses the crowd once again by saying, “Here’s a really fast one for you!” and then launched into “High Rate Extinction” as the place went absolutely ape shit. I could feel the tension growing behind me as the audience got more and more whipped into a frenzy and then it was just an all out mosh pit. My 37 year old ass was getting banged around like a fucking rag doll and I fucking loved it.
Crowbar was totally melting my face song after song as Windstien slayed us all with his guttural vocals. He has an amazing stage presence and it’s completely obvious that he loves what he does. He playfully interacts with the crowd posing for pictures while ripping our faces off. “I Have Failed” from the self titled “Crowbar” album was a real melterpiece but it was “I Am Forever” that really hit me hard. This song drew a huge reaction from the crowd. “Sever The Wicked Hand” from the upcoming album of the same title was another intense piece of Crowbar greatness that proved to me that these guys are nowhere near out of ideas. Windstien has chosen well with his choice of musicians to round out this lineup. Windstien, along with guitarist Matt Brunsen, bassist Patrick Brudders and drummer Tommy Buckley are nothing short of a metal juggernaut that just crushes everything in its path. There is nothing shabby about this line up and I would even say that I liked this one much more than the early Thomas/Strange/Nunenmacher era.
The rest of the show played like an anthology of sorts pulling from the vast catalog of albums Crowbar has released over the years. Song for song it was like a sludge punch to the dome as they hit us with songs like “Self Inflicted”, “Conquering” and another new tune called “Liquid Sky And Cold Black Earth” but it was the classic “All I Had I Gave” that completely kicked it up to “11” as the pit went nuts. I stood to the side taking it in and this had to be one of the best metal audiences I have seen in a long fucking time. This is not your kid sister’s metal and this isn’t your radio friendly metal. This is true working class metal. Crowbar is the real fucking deal and they have more than an audience. They have a loyal fan base that comes to not only show their allegiance to the band but to show their appreciation. In return Crowbar delivers a show that shows that they are just as grateful and appreciative of what we as fans give to them.
What I loved so much about this show was that I hadn’t seen these guys since 1995 yet here I was, 15 years later seeing them and I felt like I just picked up where I left off. I don’t mean this in the sense that they haven’t grown. I mean this in the fact that Crowbar has a formula that works and by sticking to this formula they not only manage to keep fans for many years but they keep the door open for people like who left for a while but came back only to feel welcomed. It’s like reuniting with an old friend over some drinks only to find that nothing has really changed. Time has been good to Crowbar and Crowbar has been good to time. Thanks for still being there guys. I’m back and I’m not going anywhere!
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