New Orleans Sludge Metal merchants Crowbar hit the Uk for their first significant headline tour on these shores since the release of their twelve studio record Zero and Below (MNRK Heavy – 2022). And their first shows in the Uk since hitting the road with Sepultura and Sacred Reich also back in 2022
Joining Crowbar for their 17 show run were London based Thrash / Death Metallers Inhuman Nature, who feature current Hang The Bastard vocalist Christopher Barling and drummer Simon Grub. Inhuman Nature hit the stage around 7.30pm and powered their way through a set built around the Slayer-esq duel guitars of Ben Taylor and Mark Stray, with the venomous gruff vocals of Barling dipping in and out at will.
Crowbar hit the stage to a rapturous applause with veteran frontman Kirk Windstein instantly engaging with the crowd and clearly still enjoying himself nearly 35 years into his career. The vocalist / guitarist who also of course plays in Down with the likes of Phil Anselmo (Pantera) Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Confirmity) and Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod) still has the cocktail of riffs and the unmistakeable gravel voice that make Crowbar roll, which he evidences on new songs such as ‘Chemical Godz’ and ‘Bleeding From Every Hole.’
But Kirk and Crowbar have a vast arsenal of songs within their repertoire and storm their way through a greatest hits set, picking out gems from their heavy and sludgy catalogue including ‘I Feel The Burning Sun’ from Equilibrium (2000), ‘The Cemetery Angels’ from Sever The Wicked Hand (2011) and ‘Planets Collide’ from perhaps their most well known release Odd Fellows Rest (1998).
Windstein’s banter in between songs was on point, cracking some jokes and letting us know that the band are currently working on album number thirteen – “Well you’ve got to keep spitting them out while your still alive right?” Crowbar delivered a thoroughly old-school Metal vibe throughout, while showing they’ve also still got what it takes to provide the crowd with a good old fashioned time. KZ
Words // Pictures by Abstrakt_Soul
Kult-Zilla – Rock // Metal – Live Show Reports
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