WARCRAB
WARCRAB "The Howling Silence"
By Dr. Abner Mality
WARCRAB from Old Blighty have all the pieces in place to be the kind of band that makes me grin like the Joker after killing Robin, but they haven't quite got there yet with "The Howling Silence". They play a uniquely British combination of crusty death metal ala BENEDICTION and sludgy stoner doom. I go ga-ga over both those sub-genres and there is much to like here, but also a little disappointment.
The cranky crustaceans hit with their best stuff early. "Orbital Graveyard" has a killer swing that lopes along like a hungry wolf. It's elemental, grooving stuff like d-beat done by BENEDICTION, with ragged vocals and bad intent. "Titan Of War" follows with a selection of colossal riffs, a bit thicker and doomier. These two cuts are the apex of WARCRAB.
Following a Geezer-ish bass workout, "Black Serpents Coils" shows more of the ugly doom side of the band, like a meaner ORANGE GOBLIN. It's good stuff, but from there, we hit a rough patch. "Sword of Mars" is fast and furious but very by the numbers, while "As The Mourners Turn Away" and "Sourlands Under A Rancid Sun" both purvey a gooey, Southern-fried sort of doom with more restrained moments. They let the air out of this balloon pretty quickly. The album ends with the huge title track, which is over 10 minutes, and surprisingly it wasn't the chore I thought it would be following the previous two cuts. It seems to fly by and is a successful combo of the two styles WARCRAB prefers.
A good album, but it could have been great with more energy like the first two cuts.