Over ten years sober and the cloud of addiction still hangs heavy over Crowbar vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and de-facto leader Kirk Windstein. The emotive and crushingly heavy tracks that make up the band’s new record are thick with themes of anguish, isolation, and regret; and inversely, resolution to succeed and triumph over adversity. The record crawls along at a deliberately lethargic pace giving it the air of an almost narcotic haze, as Windstein, heart on sleeve, gargles glass on the world’s most depressing self-help book.
The moody first single “Chemical Godz” offsets the punchy classic Heavy Metal swing of its verses with a descending monolithic half-time chorus. A cautionary tale on the cycle of addiction that feels very lived-in, the chorus highlights the band’s expert affinity for marrying lyrics and instrumentation to create music that’s more than the sum of its parts. The distressed minimalist refrain of “frozen so cold,” with its hint of melody, creating a suitably icy atmosphere.
The mid-tempo thrust and “hand of doom” lyrics of “Confess to Nothing” embodies the blue and gray hues of the record’s funereal cover art. A panic attack of a tune, it finds Windstein repeating the mantra “Don’t back down. Live again” over a propulsive, dyed-in-the-wool doom riff.
On a record that can occasionally sag beneath its own titanic weight, the efficient “Denial of the Truth” balances the hushed melodicism of its first half with the infectious groove and driving mid-tempo riffage of its second. Windstein’s restrained singing, accentuated by haunting harmonies and airy vocal effects adds a welcome respite from the record’s sheer mass. The delivery of the lyric “you can survive with light inside” comes across as sage advice from someone that has seemingly been through the dark tunnel and arrived at the other side “scathed,” but wiser for the experience. In general Duane Simoneaux’s loud, modern production suits the record, but when the band brings it down to a whisper, as they do here, the lack of drum dynamics in particular is a bit off putting.
Whether ‘Zero and Below’ is a knee jerk reaction to the psychedelic experimentalism of Windstein’s 2020 solo release “Dream in Motion,” or simply the yin to that record’s yang, there’s an undeniable immediacy to the record. Like their mentors in Pantera, Crowbar have always leaned heavily into the aggression of hardcore punk. This is readily apparent in standout track “Bleeding from Every Hole” where the aggressive D-beat rhythms of the song’s verses create the perfect foil for the chugging breakdowns of the chorus. Longtime drummer Tommy Buckley and relatively new bassist Shane Wesley expertly hold down the bottom end as Windstein and lead guitarist Matt Brunson riff their way through the sludgy quagmire.
The gothic, almost-death-doom of the title track is another standout. Acoustic guitars shimmer and melodic harmonized guitar lines ring over a slow dirge riff. Windstein, in all his wisdom, issues a plea against self-destruction via a simple melody delivered in an almost whispered rasp that adds a depth of gravity to the lyrics – “It’s got a hold on you from deep inside. Please don’t end it all. Close your eyes and don’t fall. There’s no coming back. Forever chained to black.” The mournful leads and gentle acoustic guitar of the song’s coda serve as an epitaph for a record that endeavors to shine a ray of light in the often darkest of places, the soul of man.
Fans of Crowbar’s brooding mix of morose doom and hardcore punk aggression should find plenty to like about the band’s solid new record ‘Zero and Below.’