Life's Blood for the Downtrodden

by Crowbar

Overview

Crowbar stalled out after the 2001 LP Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form. Leader Kirk Windstein was dealing with Down, membership was in flux, and Crowbar's infamous label woes were a constant headache. But the long-running New Orleans sludge metal outfit wasn't going to go out like that, and Windstein started the resuscitation process in summer 2003. He tapped original drummer Craig Nunemacher, and Pantera vet Rex Brown offered to handle bass and production. Down II producer Warren Riker also signed on. The result is Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, a typically pummeling tribute to the Art of the Riff, but an album that also finds new methods of mayhem. Windstein's vocals never waver from a raging and vengeful wronged-soul growl. But his guitar work searches out tense melodies amidst the animalistic main riffs, and Nunemacher and Brown are relentlessly rhythmic without sacrificing dynamics. "Slave No More"'s slight shifts of time signature are incredible, increasing the song's power while highlighting its pained chorus. "Coming Down" suggests the Deftones, "Fall Back to Zero" shuttles between a swirling limbo of sorrow and an explosively percussive chorus, and "Dead Sun" alters the tempos yet again behind one of the album's most ferocious Windstein riffs. (The guitar line, roughly tabbed: "Da-na-da-na-DA-naah-[space]-da-deh-deh-deh-deh....") Lifesblood isn't an album to change minds about Crowbar. It spits out chunks of sludgy metal with plain and simple intent, just like all the band's records have. It gives Windstein the room and the reason to scream oaths like "I got a call to rule the underworld -- that passion burns in me" and "Dirt underneath me but light up above/Destroy what's in your way and never lose love for yourself." It's Crowbar's return to recording, and fans will love it. ~ Johnny Loftus

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/2024
Label:	Candlelight
UPC:	5401148006087
Rank:	120809

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Crowbar   Primary Artist
Steve Gibb   Guitar,Slide Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Kirk Windstein   Guitar,Vocals
Jamey Jasta   Featured Artist
Craig Nunemacher   Drums
Rex Brown   Keyboards,String Bass,Guitar (Acoustic)
Jimmy Bower   Featured Artist
Sid Montz   Piano
Pat Bruders   Guitar (Bass)
Tommy Buckley   Drums

Technical Credits

Warren Riker   Audio Production,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Rex Brown   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Tommy Buckley   Group Member
Andrew Bartek   Assistant Engineer
Steve Gibb   Group Member
Kirk Windstein   Composer,Group Member
Scott Campbell   Mixing,Engineer
Jeff Cloyes   Assistant Engineer
Doc Wiley   Mixing Engineer
Pat Bruders   Group Member