Sonic Excess In It’s Purest Form mini review

 

 

 “Sonic Excess In It’s Purest Form” is an album by Crowbar released on  August 21st, 2001. It is the last album to have Sammy Duet on it. The album starts off with “The Lasting Dose”, which is like the beginning of a graduation ceremony. In many ways, the album is like a ceremony. To me, Sammy was graduating from point in his life to another. It was the end of his time in Crowbar, and where he went full throttle into Goatwhore, who released their first album a year prior. 

I love this album completely. I can listen to it front and back, over and over again. It’s just that good to me. Some of my favorite songs are “It Pours From Me”, “Repulsive In It’s Splendid Beauty”, and “Suffering Brings Wisdom”. I also really love the track “Counting Daze”; it has this very ancient Greek sound to it. It reminds me of a minotaur or something. 

Each song flows so well, one after another. In some ways, it’s a shame that this lineup didn’t make another album, though I know that sometimes life has other plans for us. After this album, Kirk would go on to create Down’s second album “Down II”. 

I think this album really showcased Sammy’s talent, and the amazing bends he would do with his guitar. It has his signature all over the record. He has this distinct heaviness which cannot be ignored. I truly cannot think of any way that they could have improved this album. It’s perfect to me.

I love this album very much, and give it a 5/5.

 

Equilibrium mini review

 

 

 “Equilibrium” is an album by Crowbar, released on March 7th, 2000. Is is the second album to have Sammy Duet on it. The overall tone is “happier” in a sense. There’s a much more playful element to this album than the one before it. For me, the album reminds me a lot of traveling on the road. It’s a great album to listen to while driving. 

The song “Equilibrium” is reminiscent of that sort of late 60’s early 70’s pop-rock style that influenced Kirk Windstein. I know that bands like Led Zeppelin influenced him a lot, and I think that you can hear that a lot in the song. 

The album as a whole is very emotional, though this isn’t out of the ordinary for Crowbar. But it’s very clear how much the music comes from the heart. It’s real. It’s true. This is reflected not just in the lyrics, but also in the way music is played. From every bend, to every melody. The drums to the song “Uncovering” stick out to me the most.

I really love the cover they did to the song “Dream Weaver”. It’s a beautiful rendition that’s heavy, slow, and in my opinion, better than the original. At the very end of the album, is the “secret” track where they “covered” “Innagoddavita” by Iron Butterfly, though this is a joke track. I think it’s a great laugh though. 

Overall, a good album, I like it. 3/5.

 

Odd Fellows Rest mini review

 

 

 “Odd Fellows Rest” is an album by Crowbar, released on July 6th, 1998. Is is the first album to have Sammy Duet on it, as he joined Crowbar after the dissolution of Acid Bath. It is also the only album to have both Jimmy Bower and Sammy on it. 

The album is very beautiful, and “Planets Collide” is an amazing song which reflects that. You can hear how Kirk taught Sammy a lot, when he took him under his wing. I love the way the two would play together, they coalesced very well. 

My favorite songs are “To Carry The Load”, “On Frozen Ground”, “It’s All In The Gravity”, and “1000 Year Internal War”. You can really hear the heaviness from Sammy Duet’s style at times, which compliments well with Todd’s Bass lines. It’s really cool to listen to Jimmy Bower play drums also, even though he was on other Crowbar albums, in my mind, I always think of him as the drummer for Down. 

In many ways, I feel like Crowbar raised the bar for Sammy, pun not intended. Kirk has a standard of quality that I think every Crowbar fan has come to expect. In many ways, I think it taught him how to play slow and heavy, something that would be heard on later releases in his career. 

In many ways, I think of Kirk Windstein as some ancient Greek Philosopher, and his music is the soundtrack to each of his lessons. He’s like a wise sage.

Overall, I really enjoy this album, and it’s definitely a must listen for anyone interested in Crowbar.

My video: https://youtube.com/shorts/Q6vP74bKG54