Two decades ago, 36 Crazyfists came punching out of Anchorage, Ala., with a frozen ferocity that combined metalcore and nu metal with bottom-heavy grooves. That sound eventually morphed into the raw convergence of gruff singing and death-metal shouts the band relies on today. The death of original bass player JD Stuart in a car crash and the band’s subsequent relocation to the Pacific Northwest did little to halt 36 Crazyfists’ aggressive attempts to win over fans of Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Testament and the Deftones.
On Time and Trauma, the unpiling of pain in the grim “Gathering Bones” and mellow closer “Marrow” reveals musical complexity complemented by the melodic “Sorrow Sings” and “Lightless”—all songs that stand in stark contrast to the fury of “Vanish (We All Disappear)” and “Swing the Noose.” Time and Trauma suggests that, 20 years on, 36 Crazyfists is still a band demanding to be heard.
36 Crazyfists will open for Five Finger Death Punch at The Rave on Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m.
