When 36 Crazyfists burst out of obscurity from the wilds of Alaska in 2002, having signed to Roadrunner and taken part in their annual "Roadrage" tour, the now much-maligned genre of nu-metal was reaching breaking point. Korn, the originators of the genre, were stuck in a rut between retreading old ground, and failing to reach a new, more experimental sound, and hundreds of horribly generic bands (Trapt, Disturbed, P.O.D. and their ilk) were entering the mainstream, and threatening to over-saturate the genre.
However, 36CF made sure
"Bitterness The Star" stood out from the ever-growing crowd, by incorporating elements of emo into their nu-metal based sound, with a strong emphasis on melody (this sort of approach has been done to death by now, but at the time this was very different from most of what was around).
At the backbone of the 36CF sound is the drumming of Thomas Noonan, who hammers out heavy and driving beats, but with imaginative fills, and enough variation to keep things interesting. The rhythm section is completed by Mick Whitney on bass who, although tending mostly to follow the guitars, has an excellent bass sound which is always audible but not overbearing, which seriously adds to the impact of the sound. Steve Holt's guitar riffs vary between the fluid one-finger-chord grooves (a staple of nu-metal, but used to good effect here, owing to all of them being very catchy) and effects-laden melodic parts (notably the main riff of
"Slit Wrist Theory"). Being very nu-metal orientated at this point in their career, there are no solos, but this doesn't affect the songs, there never seems to be a need for them. The standout point of 36CF though, and possibly the main factor in getting them noticed above the crap that was around at the time, is lead vocalist Brock Lindow. He ranks among my favourite metal vocalists, as his voice is so versatile, yet unlike anyone I've ever heard. His screams are incredibly raw and heavy, and he is capable of holding a soaring melody with impressive range, but in a style of his own, adding quirks like vibrato, and an interesting little effect where he incorporates what can only be described as a "gargling sound" during longer notes, prounouncing words differently. In print, that probably comes across as a rather strange vocal style, but trust me, it sounds great on record.
The aforementioned
"Slit Wrist Theory" was released as a single with a video which gained lots of play on music channels, and is one of the albums highlights, as it features all of the sounds mentioned above, and one of Brock's best vocal performances on the album. In my opinion, any one of
"Turns To Ashes" (a fantastic, heavy opener to the album, with a massive chorus),
"An Agreement Called Forever" (one of the more melodic standout tracks), or
"Eightminutesupsidedown" (possibly the most "nu-metallic" songs on the album, but incredibly rhythmic and shot through with a massive melodic streak) could have fared equally well as a single, and it's a shame that Roadrunner didn't promote the album more at the time. Other standouts include the slightly more restrained
"Two Months From A Year", the piledriving attack of
"Circle The Drain", and the subdued closing track
"Left Hand Charity", but that's not to say that the other tracks are sub-standard, these were just the ones that jumped out at me most. It must be said that the album is very consistent throughout, and although the band keep to their distinctive style, they mix it up enough to keep you listening. The only slight gripe I have is with a few of the lyrics, which on occasions seem a little cliched or childish (
"Everything's still horrible, since everyone still dies" being a good case in point...), but this takes little away from the overall experience.
Today, when the emo genre is beginning to reach (or some would argue it already has reached) its saturation point, and nu-metal is almost a distant memory,
"Bitterness The Star" stands out as a diamond in the rough, a solid record which combined the two genres tastefully and effectively. Admittedly, it's an unpolished diamond (the band's sound has developed significantly in the last four years), but it has stood the test of time and shifting of popular tastes very well, and is well worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of 36 Crazyfists' more recent material.
I give this album a solid 4/5.
