Crowbar Will Crush Your Head In

The riff. Kirk Windstein is a human riff. Actually, he's a beard with a man attached to it, but his riffs are pretty sweet, I must say. The thunderous heaviness (physically and musically) of Crowbar is so bombastic it could cause earthquakes. Kirk is one of those rare guitarists that is instantly recognizable, as quickly as a single note. His tone and groove are unmatched and the fact that Crowbar has always been crushingly heavy never took away from a deepened sense of melody and Iron Maiden-like harmony.

Their albums are classic and songs are anthems. Their lineup has been a revolving door or NOLA's who's who, but Kirk has always been the mainstay and the driving force behind this wrecking ball. Just listen to defining tracks like "(All I Had) I Gave", "I Have Failed", "The Only Factor" and "Broken Glass". Then go listen to their later-era material that blows away most of their older stuff. Anything off Equlibrium, Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form (especially "The Lasting Dose") and the so-fucking-good-it-hurts LP, Odd Fellows Rest. This is where they found the beauty of atmospherics mixed with their already potent sound, mixed it with melody and obviously smoked way better weed.

Oh, Kirk is also a founding member of Down and his newer project with Jamey Jasta caled Kingdom of Sorrow. KOS is really good and different yet the same for both Kirk and Jamey, but Down is something really special. It lets Kirk let his Zep love shine through and he gets to feed off the best in the game, Pepper Keenan. Down is one of the few examples of a "supergroup" that works. Fucking amazing band.

There will be a new Crowbar record in 2009 and while 2005's Lifesblood was a solid record, I'm expecting this upcoming release to demolish it.

"The Lasting Dose"
"I Feel The Burning Sun" (sickest riff!)
"Planets Collide"

In Honor of Down III...

Instead of talking up the much-anticipated release Down III: Over The Under, I decided to recommend some records of the members that make up this Megalodon of a band. Just within the walls of Down, the following bands exist (or have existed at one point): Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Graveyard Rodeo, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod, The Mystik Crewe of Clearlight, Crowbar and Kingdom of Sorrow, not to mention hundreds of guest spots and other smaller projects. My loyalties lie with the best songs and COC had em' all beat by a long shot. I love me some Pantera and Crowbar, but there's just something about the way Pepper Keenan can write a riff/song/melody/lyric, that can make you feel like you know exactly what he was going through when he put the pen to the paper.

Check these records out and you will cease being a douche bag almost immediately:

** Note that the bold titles are the essential LP's to start with **

COC- Blind, DELIVERANCE, Wiseblood, America's Volume Dealer, In The Arms of God and the Live Volume CD/DVD

Pantera- Cowboys From Hell, VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER, Far Beyond Driven, The Great Southern Trendkill, Reinventing The Steel (also check out Official Live 101 Proof and Power Metal, for the nutbag who needs to see Phil in all his cheesy glory...Rex Rocker, priceless).

Crowbar- s/t, Time Heals Nothing, Broken Glass, ODD FELLOWS REST, Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form

Superjoint Ritual- USE ONCE AND DESTROY

and of course all three Down LP's. The new one kills, just as I expected. I'm not recommending any Eyehategod, not because I don't like them...Simply becausse I was never a big enough fan to push their records on anyone. I love the heavy shit, but if there's no structure or understandable vocals, I have no use for it.

Respect this:

...And this:

...And then this:

...And if you think you're awesome enough, the heaviest thing ever: