Review Summary: Jackie Chan would be proud
36 Crazyfists has never been the most well-known band in all of melodic metalcore, despite how much better they do it then over half of the bands that tower over them in record sales. After the much nu-metal influenced “Bitterness the Star” the band managed to stick right to the middle, they could go soft, they could go heavier, they could get better, or they could just get worse. 2004 was a busy year for melodic metalcore to say the least the forerunners of the subgenre Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Atreyu just to name a few all came out with top of the line albums, but no matter how much they still stand up among the genre even by today’s standards. A little record called “A Snow Capped Romance” stands taller then all of them in my book.
The thing that distinguishes 36 Crazyfists from the other bands, is that it’s all heavy, accessible, but never overly poppy or a cash in to try to be “brutal”. They don’t need 2min. embarking solos, or over thinking everything with concepts and themes. Everything here is simple, but never overly simple (and yes that does make sense). The group managed to toss the nu-metal factor out to bring in a more post-hardcore sound, and it fits well with Brock’s unique voice. But it’s not just your average screamo/emo knockoff band, this band manages to keep a sense of maturity well throughout the album. Now those who are not fans of metalcore may find this release to be nothing special, but for those who are fans of metalcore or just heavy rock will find something to enjoy. It’s nothing special, but extremely well done.
The album opens up with the single “At The End of August” which is one of the more post-hardcore laden songs, and even sounds close to a song off Refused “A Shape of Punk to Come”, heavy and fast-paced, but with a nice sense of melody throughout. Next single “Bloodwork” shows a more melodic side of the band that works better then most metalcore’s finest “mellower tracks”. Brock’s singing is somewhat similar to Our Lady Peace while the song has a distinct post-hardcore/alt. metal vibe, plus the use of bass and melody is just killer here. “Kenai” kicks up the aggression a bit with a full out attack of metalcore, and while the aggression works well after a much softer track, I feel “At the End of August” just works better then this song. “Skin and Atmosphere” however picks up what little slack the last track had, and it does it well. “Song for the Fishermen” is a spoken word piece about the band’s homeland of Alaska, I’ve heard a lot of bands try the spoken word thing as a cop out for being artistic, but for some reason this track just works as it doesn’t carry on too long and doesn’t drag the album down in the slightest bit. “Destroy the Map” is a duet of sorts with relatively unknown singer Raithon Clay, the song is a blast of somewhat poppy-post-hardcore much in the like of Funeral for a Friend. “Installing the Catheter” is a down-tempo almost thrash piece the band shows here, and it leads well into the almost Opeth-esque ending bit “Waterhaul”. Also if you happen to order this off iTunes you get an excellent cover of Faith No More’s “Digging the Grave” which is one of the finest FNM covers you’ll find.
Overall 36 Crazyfists manage to soar over most metalcore bands by playing on their strengths of solid riffs, vocals, melody, lyrics, and diversity. It’s a shame this is one of the few bands not to explode out of the metalcore boom of 04’, because in my opinion this release surpasses all those releases and a good number of metalcore releases to this day. While that may be a bold claim, few other bands within the genre manage to evoke emotion, melody, and all the while keeping it heavy and accessible.
