For Those About Squawk: Waldo Pecks on Crowbar, Vein.fm and Vio-lence

There’s a lot going on right now, so hopefully, me reviewing some new releases will ease the pain. Remember, I’m not an elitist, you just have bad taste.

Just like everyone, Crowbar is releasing a pandemic record called Zero and Below. Not to birdshit on this release before I even review it, but enough with saying “pandemic releases” we get it… In their own press release they quote themselves, “the heaviness is coming.” Well, that’s an apt description. Here we have the squashed but full sound that Kirk Windstein is known for. We have some songs that really lay it down thick—and I mean thick—and some more groovy stuff, and a couple of more upbeat songs, for Crowbar that is. This certainly will not disappoint any Crowbar fans, and like the press release states, it is heavy. While being one of their more solid records in recent years, the issue here is it’s kinda just like all of the other Crowbar records. I was looking to make some Kelvin—the temperature scale joke—but it’s a solid record. 7 Fucking Pecks.

The hardcore band Vein is now Vein.fm (when did I miss that?) Coming out with their new release This World Is Going To Ruin You. This is not your mom’s hardcore band, touching on everything from jazz to industrial, this moves around quite a bit. Did I mention that this is a pissed-off sounding record? like most modern hardcore bands, Vein.fm is not really afraid to take chances, without straying too far from there genre. This is what you’d think (mostly), fast parts, skank parts, mosh parts with the occasional Dillinger part thrown in. Love the drummer, too. 7 Fucking Pecks.

Vio-lence is back at it with a new five-song EP called Let The World Burn, and boy, this thing is not good. Vio-lence used to be a great thrash band and even Bobby Gustafen (ex Overkill) can’t save this Quantized, processed garbage. These old thrash bands need to look at their old sound and try to remember why they got together in the first place. 2 Fucking Pecks.

Well, until next time… Waldo out!