Those Damn Crows – ‘God Shaped Hole’

Those Damn Crows, AKA Welsh Black Stone Cherry, are moving on through the music galaxy, paying tribute to the experiences they leave in the dust. While the comparison to Chris Robertson’s band is intended in jest, the boys from Bridgend’s experiences stateside supporting the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and the Hollywood  Vampires seem to have rubbed off on them, both in terms of evolving sound and scope of their musical ambitions. ‘God Shaped Hole’, Those Damn Crows’ fifth outing, serves as a scrapbook of frontman Shane Greenhall’s escapades in the year or so since their last album’s release, each song intended as a single image (helpfully, all featuring on the Dali-esque cover art). Evidently, his time the road has been good to him as ‘God Shaped Hole’ feels far more bold and focused than previous albums, with a sense of poise and class powered by a new flow of vigour.

‘The Night Train’ was our first taste of what’s to come. Slow burning, with an intro that sounds like they’re about to share a tale of love broken by distance, it’s a song that blooms into longing and majestic solos. The sense of honest uncertainty and searching for something intangible crops up again and again. “I’ve always been unstable,” Greenhall apologises on ‘Glass Heart’, a song that could be a Bon Jovi classic. It’s ripe with hope and uncertainty, betraying a longing for connection under all the ringing guitars. They approach a resolution on booming anthem ‘Dancing With the Enemy’: “we all deserve a truth that’s real,” wails Greenhall, “from the moment you get it, the outcome’s automatic.” With a festival feel and a colossal chorus, Those Damn Crows are clearly standing up to make an honest statement about where they’re at. By making these moments of questioning into single songs, we get a greater sense of what drives the band forward, making them appear more three dimensional than just caricatured rock stars. 

When they do feel certain about whatever topic is driving them, Those Damn Crows project a welcome strength. ‘Let’s Go Psycho!’, which dropped just before they hit the main stage at Download last year, is resolute and tightly wound, a taut tribute to self-reliance with quick rhymes and even faster shredding. The fighting spirit continues in ‘No Surrender’, through tough drumming and a mini-narrative that drops in and out of power stances. Weaving sonic tapestries that move and drop in and out of genres is emerging as a hallmark, broadening interest without giving into the urge to go full rock opera. ‘Turn It Around’ is practically Metal at some points, before they switch into a message of soaring, retro brotherhood, and ‘Spit & Choke’ owes a lot to Josh Homme and Co with it’s bass emphasis and motoring speed.

What’s so satisfying about ‘God Shaped Hole’ is that it’s clear that Those Damn Crows haven’t settled into a comfortable groove in their role as ‘classic-ish rock you can pit to and play to your parents’. They’re open to growing as artists, taking on new inspiration and using whatever life throws at them to expand their sound. Almost acoustic closer ‘Still’ exemplifies this; sure, dropping in a tender quiet moment is always lovely but not unexpected, but finishing with a song about joy of being able to “stay still right here”? That’s new, and shows us that they’re not a band to rest of their laurels. By centring their own experiences the passing them through a filter of vintage rock, ‘God Shaped Hole’ represents another chapter in the chronicle of a band who are open to grown and change. Those Damn Crows have another damn fine album under their belt, and who can predict where their next one will take them.

KATE ALLVEY