36 Crazyfists - Collisions & Castaways
Rating
RIYL
Darkest HourKillswitch Engage
In Flames
Eighteen Visions
Release Date
07/27/2010
Label
Ferret MusicTracklist
01. In The Midnights02. Whitewater
03. Mercy And Grace
04. Death Renames The Light
05. Anchors
06. Long Road To The Late Nights
07. Trenches
08. Reviver
09. Caving In Spirals
10. The Deserter
11. Waterhaul II
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For a band that released their major label debut in 2002, you’d think that 36 Crazyfists would have found their niche by now. The band has returned with their second Ferret Records release (their fifth full length), Collisions and Castaways, to deliver a whole lot of… something? Whatever they’re trying to deliver, it certainly seems ambitious, but it’s just hard to figure out exactly what 36 Crazyfists wants to give you. On one hand, there’s some diversity to be had on this album, which can’t be said for many other mainstream metal records. On the other hand, all of the “diverse parts” seem to be a hodgepodge of things that other bands have already done a thousand times over. Just because 36 Crazyfists isn’t reinventing the wheel, though, doesn’t mean they should be entirely ignored.
The album kicks off with the classic acoustic/electric guitar harmony slowly raining in (think Turbonegro’s “The Age of Pamparius”), lulling the listener into a false sense of relaxation. The band quickly wakes you up with a pounding drum fill and a full guitar buildup. Suddenly, one of the coolest verse riffs on the disc is unleashed with a harmonious razor-sharp precision. Then, while the generic two-step metalcore part preceding the chorus isn’t all that impressive, nothing prepared me for the chorus. Did someone let Coby Dick from Papa Roach in here? For a moment I actually feel like I’m at a WWE Raw event listening to the theme song. To be quite clear, this is NOT a good feeling.
It’s not that Brock Lindow’s vocals are bad. They’re perfectly fine. They just seem to repeatedly kill any momentum built up on this album. About the only track that the melodic styling of Lindow seems to fit in with is “Whitewater,” in a chorus that probably could have fit in perfect somewhere on Bleeding Through’s album The Truth. The instruments are thrashy, the singing is smooth, pitch perfect, and flows perfectly with the part.
Up next is “Mercy and Grace.” The beginning of this track might initially remind of you of melodic hardcore bands, such as Misery Signals, with the sporadic double bass and punchy guitars. Then, just when you think it’s going somewhere, it jumps into a generic riff set to a basic two-step tempo. Throw in some more buzz-killing singing parts, then rinse and repeat. This brings up the next point: formulaic, formulaic, formulaic! Did I mention this is formulaic? It is. If the album were any more formulaic, you’d be listening to 30-second loops for each song's length. Of course, there’s the odd bridge here and the odd breakdown there, but every song repeats itself to the point of nausea.
Not everything about this album makes me queasy, though. Fans of Twelve Tribes will be pleased to know that vocalist Adam Jackson makes a guest appearance on “Anchors,” which actually does seem to have a little bit of Twelve Tribes' influence mixed with a big bit of Killswitch Engage. “The Deserter” also showcases the band’s ability to make a solid thrash metalcore song with a huge sound in the year 2010, and is bound to get the crowds pumped live. The guttural guest vocals of Brandon Davis from Across the Sun contrasts well with the highs of Brock, and the dive-bombs in the breakdowns remind me of Pantera, which is never a bad thing.
There’s not a lot else to say about the rest of the album. There’s “Caving In Spirals,” a song that sounds like it was ripped straight off of one of the newer Eighteen Visions albums, an instrumental piece called “Long Roads to Late Nights,” which comes across as being nothing but filler, and a closing track, “Waterhaul II,” which has maybe 2:30 out of 5 minutes of the full band playing, with the rest being filler.
The inconsistency of the material makes it seem like the band is feeling the same way I am – confused. Anyone can at least appreciate some of the material here. There’s some melodic death metal influence, some melodic hardcore influence, some sludge metal parts, and then out of left field, some big stadium rock choruses; however, there’s just something about Collisions and Castaways that makes it seem like 36 Crazyfists is trying to be the jack of all trades but can’t seem to master any of them. If you’ve been a fan of the band, this album probably won’t change your mind, and neither will my review, but I tend to go against the grain, which is something that 36 Crazyfists should try a little more of.
--Cory Rennison
Comments
Minnesota
Ummm... well, I guess we disagree on this one :-) I thought this was a very solid album and one of 36CF's better albums.
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Spokane, Washington
i wasn't to keen on this album for about the first 2-3 full listens, but it's definitely a grower. some great tracks, and all have that signature 36cf sound. only track i really don't like is Waterhaul II, simply because it's nowhere as awesome as the original, and the synth sounds terrible.
Current Listenings:
7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes of Absolution"
Horse Feathers - "Cynic's New Year"
Andrew Bird - "Break It Yourself"
Sigur Ros - "Valtari"
Rocky Votolato - "Television of Saints"
Janus - "Nox Aeris"
Blues Traveler - "25"
Green Brook, NJ
disagree with this review. this band has yet to disappoint.
Kansas
no matter how hard I try I can never get into this band....sucks
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