It’s barely been a month since I had first heard of 36 CRAZY FISTS, but in that time frame, I’ve done almost nothing but talk about them. The strange thing is – this is not a band that’s easy to describe, as opposed to most hardcore bands that fall into neat and easy categories. If there’s any one sticking point with 36 CRAZY FISTS, it’s the super clean, polished sound that they forge and the melodic, standout vocals of Brock Lindow. Much like the GLASSJAW’s Daryl Palumbo, Lindow wails effectively in that middle ground between screaming and singing, both of which he can do effectively. To compliment this power, this band brings out a crunchy guitar sound, some fancy bass work and some pummeling moments behind the skins. “Bitterness The Star” is a very tight release, as none of the twelve songs really give this band much room to breathe – a style that keeps the intensity high at all times. The highlight of this disc for me comes with the eight track, “Two Months From a Year” which hits a vorciferous apex with the ending build-up and rabid screaming. Like most small, normally calm animals, when provoked, 36 CRAZY FISTS really know how to turn solid songs into blistering moments of aggression. NORA’s vocalist Carl Severson does guest vocals on the second track, “One More Word” and it too is a standout feature. One of the reasons why I’m so into this release is that although there’s no doubt, this is a band firmly rooted in the hardcore world, the music is fairly accessible to get into – it’s genuinely inviting to listen to and sing-along with, especially in the car. Lyrically, there’s plenty of pain and misery to go around with this group of guys, (as indicated by such song titles, “Slit Wrist Theory,” and “An Agreement Called Forever”) but it’s not overt enough to become disparaging. Although Roadrunner’s been a proponent of heavy music for a long time, I think they are really going to turn heads with both 36 CRAZY FISTS and their to be released disc from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. “Bitterness The Star” comes highly recommended.

Roadrunner

www.roadrunnerrecords.com