
Rip and tear!
-- Crowsview --
13/10/2018
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Metalcore |
■ | Thrash Metal |
Album artists:
■ | Kevin Rouserez | Vocals |
■ | Jeroen Callens | Bass |
■ | Dieter Willem | Guitar |
■ | Bart Lernout | Guitar |
■ | Pieter Deroo | Drums |
Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
Before
Crowsview I knew guitarist Dieter as the man behind the well-praised metalcore/heavy
metal crossover festival Evil Or Die Fest. And last month his band Crowsview
unleashed their debut album. Time to shred once again!
[THE SHREDDING BASICS]
Lost
Resistance is the first album from Belgian metalcore/thrash metal hybrid
Crowsview and is an independent release. The band was formed in 2015 by former
members of Core Of Anger and Deconsecrate. Although Crowsview is metalcore at
its essence, it does a few things differently compared to similar sounding
bands, especially in the vocal department. While a lot of metalcore acts focus
on grunting and growling, Crowsview’s singer Kevin employs a vocal style that I
can best describe as distant howling or… crowing! Personally I think the vocals
are a bit hit and miss. On the one hand I feel this “crowing” is a breath of
fresh air compared to your usual metalcore vocals but on the other hand they
don’t sound as clear or as dominant as the other instruments on the album. Personally
I think Kevin’s lines would’ve sounded better when they had been mixed a bit more
to the foreground.
As for the
other aspects of Lost Resistance, it’s clear that the band’s major strength is in
how they successfully manage to produce a powerful, frantic yet also well-structured
wall of sonic mayhem! It’s a mixture of harsh metalcore and melodic thrash, of
Arkangel and Slayer. The guitar riffs rip and tear their way through your brain
and the galloping bass and drum lines keep the frenzy well up and running until
the end. The songs on Lost Resistance are short and go straight to the point. Without
unnecessary introductory speeches or samples (except for one dark ambient opening
sample right at the beginning of the album) and with nice variety in pacing and
overall smooth transitions from one track to the next. One moment you’ll be
headbanging like crazy and another moment you can cool off a little and enjoy
the more melodic aspects of the album. The release is about 30 minutes in
length and I went for a couple consecutive playthroughs, like a great sonic
rollercoaster.
[THE SHREDDING VISION]
As a nice
stab to Christianity the front cover of Lost Resistance depicts the virgin Mary
crying black tears, sporting huge black wings and holding a goat-headed baby
Jesus in her hands. Is this the birth of the Anti-Christ? Or is this a
reference to Slayer’s legendary Reign In Blood album? Anyway, I love the comic
book style of this front cover, it reminds me a bit of the Sin City comics!
[THE SHRAPEST SHREDS AND BLUNTEST BLADES]
While I can
understand that the penultimate track MMXV serves as an opener to the awesome
final track of the album, it’s soft, acoustic guitar melody feels completely
out of place on an album like this! It cuts off the smooth flow I mentioned
earlier and it’s so different compared to the other tracks on Lost Resistance
that it has no place nor purpose on the album! I’d rather have heard a short
heavy guitar instrumental, that would’ve have served as a much better intro to
Beneath The Flesh. Speaking of…
Lost
Resistance’s final track, Beneath The Flesh, is a badass finale wherein the Crowsview
guys offer their full musical potential for all to hear! Thunderous breakdowns,
hard-pounding rhythms, snarling vocals and ending with some epic guitar work
that makes me begging for more as the song slowly fades away! In addition, I
love the catchiness and roaring riffs of the album’s third track, Burn It Down,
featuring guest vocals from Ross Demon from Length Of Time. Well, that’s all I’ve
got to say, almost!
[THE SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
7 black
tears out of 10. Crowsview’s debut release was a fun little piece of thrashing
metalcore for me to shred through! I believe with a bit more melody and clearer
mixed vocals Crowsview can bring a lot to the table for thrash and metalcore
fans everywhere. This first iteration already offers a sweet taste of their
musical prowess and I look forward to hear how Crowsview will evolve! Here’s
the album’s sixth track, Face Your Supreme!