Thrashman’s Metal Pick Of The Week

Okay, so this week I'm picking New Orleans sludge legends Crowbar's new album Sever The Wicked Hand. Kirk Windstein's the man. I can't get enough of his riffs...they're so unique and easily identifiable. Show me another band on the planet that sounds remotely like Crowbar. I personally have  never heard one and that's a testament to Kirk's songwriting.

Sever The Wicked Hand is chock full of everything you've heard before from the band...everything from slow, sludgy dirges to in your face hardcore along with plenty of melody. But for some reason this album really sticks out among the rest to me.

The album opens with the undeniably Crowbar "Isolation (Desperation)", a tune that kind of serves as a ramp into the ripping title track. The energy is high on this album yet there's plenty of chilled out , melodic moments...see "A Farewell to Misery", an instrumental track that serves as an interlude that also serves as an opening to the next track "Protector of the Shrine".

The aforementioned tracks all stand out to me along with the oh so catchy "Let Me Mourn" and "The Cemetery Angels". Sever The Wicked Hand is a great listen front-to-back and one that Crowbar fans will be talking about for years to come.

Sever The Wicked Hand is out now on E1 Records.