36 Crazyfists -Collisions And Castaways

Wed 11th Aug, 2010 in Music Reviews

Alaskan rockers 36 Crazyfists seem to be getting heavier as they get older, their last record, 2008’s The Tide And Its Takers, was their most metal effort to date, that is of course, until now. Now up to their fifth album, Collisions And Castaways is without question the most brutal this band has ever sounded. Some fans may be pleased about that but for others, the band has lost the melodic subtleties that set them apart from countless others in the genre.

The listener is thrown off guard with the opening track, In The Midnights, which begins with one minutes worth of acoustic build up that is quickly crushed by a wall of guitars and screams. Few songs jump out from this album and the typical metal sounds of tracks like Death Renames The Light lack the traits that 36 Crazyfists is known for, mainly in Brock Lindow’s vocal melodies. However when looked at in comparison to other metal releases of late, this is arguably one of the finer releases of the genre.

What Crazyfists’ album would be complete without a beautiful instrumental? None, which is why Long Road To Late Nights exists. As well as the softest track on the record, Caving In Spirals, helps remind us that these guys are seasoned professionals who can structure some damn fine tunes.

One of the tracks that does stand out is a song called Anchors, which features guest vocalists Adam Jackson of Twelve Tribes and Raithon Clay of Plans To Make Perfect, and is the closest to older 36CF material by using catchy melodies mixed with chaos and one of the best breakdowns on the record.

For the 36 Crazyfists, this is probably their worst album, but for the metalcore genre it’s probably one of the best releases this year, so figure that out and see why you should hear this band.