And so on we go with the ‘what Paul bought at the music shop’ review section. This time it’s Alaskan band 36 Crazyfists, who, let’s face it, have brought a hell of a lot of respectability to Roadrunner Records. ‘A Snow Capped Romance’ is a great record – I’m not one for bands who bludgeon their way through a dozen songs without any let up at all, so I’m all ears when a band like 36CF break off for melodic choruses and breakdowns the size of Africa. Maybe it’s watered down hardcore or metalcore or whatevercore, but this is good stuff nonetheless.
Brock Lindow’s now famous ‘warble’ is arguably the band’s secret weapon, and it really makes them stand out. On the more melodic tracks the band execute the songs with energy and panache – ‘At The End Of August’ and ‘The Heart and the Shape’ make the record start off with power and vigour, before ‘Skin and Atmosphere’ kicks in with a really cool melodic vocal. On tracks like ‘With Nothing Underneath’ and ‘Cure Eclipse’, they simply just shred.
If you look hard enough you can get this for about £8 – and that’s a real bargain. Poison The Well and From Autumn To Ashes fans will alp this up, and with the band coming back for a big UK tour later this year, the future’s deservedly looking bright.
www.36crazyfists.com
Roadrunner Records
Paul