One of the best things about the internet
age is the fact that previously undiscovered and unknown bands are easy to find
now. A band like Morbid Saint spent years in relative anonymity, but seems to have revived their career thanks
to their music being easier to hear. Crucial Fix is one band that is at an even deeper
level of obscurity. Their debut self-titled record was originally recorded in
1994, but remained unreleased until just recently. And from the sound of this
album, there’s no doubt that it was recorded two decades ago, as it doesn’t
have a particularly modern feel to it. The production does tend to hurt the
album a bit. The lack of contemporary elements isn’t the problem; it’s the fact
that things sound a little buried here. The guitars aren’t really far enough in
the foreground, which makes them feel thin (even though there’s a very clear
crunch).
From an overall sound perspective, it is once
again clear that “Crucial Fix” was recorded in 1994. Though thrash was
practically dead at that time, many of the late-comers sounded confused, and
lacking clear direction. Even though this is a thrash record, it doesn’t have a
ton of classic punky drumbeats, or an endless number of speedy riffs. Instead,
it tackles a more mid-paced sound, occasionally opting to inject melody in
favour of speed (except on “To Be Or Not To Be”, where the band goes all out).
To be fair to Crucial Fix, they aren’t offering dumbed-down groove metal riffs,
but it just seems like there could be more here. They clearly come from a
thrash background, and there are some aggressive moments on the record, but
something is missing.
I suspect that where Crucial Fix hoped to
make up for this laid-back sound was in the songwriting, which is exactly what
every band should strive for regardless of speed. There are a lot of
particularly unique vocal melodies and styles throughout the record, especially
on songs like “Eerie Hauntings” and “Solid Steam”. The band’s singer isn’t
limited to a monotone grunt, as he displays an ability to really sing at times,
and even to belt out some high-pitched screams (the aforementioned “To Be Or
Not To Be” having numerous examples, and the ending of "Blinded Minds" has a great one too).
For me, the appeal of Crucial Fix is more
about the thrill of the hunt to discover every long-lost thrash band. Though
there are moments of this record I enjoyed, it didn’t have the staying power of
a lot of other thrash records. It mostly comes down to a lack of straight-ahead
thrashing, and is likely the result of playing this style of metal in the post-“Black
Album” decade.
Be sure to check out and like Crucial Fix on Facebook!
Highlight
"To Be Or Not To Be"
Final Rating
3.3/5 or 66%.
No comments:
Post a Comment