CROWBAR - Equilibrium
April 26, 2015, 9 years ago
(eOne Music)
Mighty NOLA sludge kings Crowbar nailed it on their 2000 album Equilibrium, available here for the first time as a digital release. At the time, I gotta admit, I loved the band but didn't pay much attention for some reason: it felt like they were spinning their wheels. Not sure what was wrong with me, because listening to it again with fresh ears, this kills: the band's slow-motion slug sludge was all over the place, of course, but by this point (their sixth full-length), they were just as adept at laying down faster hardcore jams, propelled along by the awesome drumming of Sid Montz, a man I know absolutely nothing about except that he's got groove and a knack for a certain kind of restrained flair that added wonderfully to the band's sound around this era.
The production just rules, a perfect mix of loud and clear and punchy and open, the drums sounding particularly impactful. Crowbar are still going strong and, man, pretty much every album is a winner and worth spending a bunch of time with. This reissue proves that Equilibrium is just as worthy as the rest. And the cover of Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" holds up shockingly well.
