2pm on Monday the 16th of February. Bored and sitting around the house, I was already regretting not being swifter in purchasing a ticket for the now sold-out Crowbar show at The Garage in Glasgow, when suddenly I received a message asking if anyone was available to cover the gig review. Oh yes, I thought, the day has indeed been saved!
Arriving at the packed-out venue and running into some mates, I noticed the diversity of the attendees. As expected, there was the usual assortment of 18+ punters drinking warm beer from plastic cups and fraternising with like-minded headbangers. But what I wasn’t anticipating was the throng of youths dotted around in their individual groups. Apparently, Crowbar have made a big splash on TikTok and have obtained a new generation of young followers and fans. Though this has earned criticism from some of my peers, who view their route into fandom as ingenuine, I for one was excited to see the next wave of moshers out in such numbers and contributing so fervently to the proceedings.
First on were Silverburn, a hard-hitting three-piece that brought a big sound into the vast, high-ceilinged room. With an assortment of slow doomy riffs that experimented with metric modulation and a variety of timings, they gave the songs a depth that kept the room interested. Silverburn certainly earned their spot on the evening’s bill and warmed up the crowd dutifully. A large pit also spawned during their set, which succeeded in setting the tone for the rest of the night. We previously caught the band in London last year, and they’ve clearly kept that momentum going.
Sweet dual harmonies fill the room as Legions of Doom start up. Going against the doom-code of staying as stationary as possible and allowing your presence and riffs to do the talking, the drummer pulls out all the stops to get some electricity in the air. Throwing sticks, holding and swapping them in his mouth, plus twirls and frills throughout the set added a welcome visual element without overplaying nor appearing too flash. With a vocal style and delivery not dissimilar to Messiah Marcolin-era Candlemass (though more visually akin to a stoner Brian Blessed), Legions of Doom were charming in their softer doom sound, creating atmosphere through uplifting riffs and passionately delivered lyrics, occasionally interrupted by tasteful headbanger breakdowns.
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Returning quickly from a pint-driven excursion across the road, Crowbar blast into life. As I enter the room, instant madness descends: an army of bodies nod and sway as punters are immediately sent “over the top”. The dichotomy of youthful moshers starting pits and the big-bellied “I was here first” stoics has never been clearer than in this moment. Rich bass tones fill the air whilst groove-driven guitars chug their way through the opening songs. Blinding lights illuminate the crowd in these gaps before the lighting guy realises he is, in fact, no longer in Louisiana and the sun-deprived metalheads of Scotland are likely to burn from this gleaming assault.
Crowbar have an unmistakable, unique groove spawned from the swamps of New Orleans. This sludge metal sound has been honed across three decades with guitarist and lead vocalist Kirk Windstein remaining the only static member. The current line-up consists of drummer Tommy Buckley, who has been with them since 2005, guitarist Matt Brunson (since 2009), and bassist Pat Bruders, recently rejoining the band having been with them previously from 2005-2013.
With no added frills or theatrics, Crowbar truly let their music speak for itself, with long droning passages leading into chugging riffs and stripped-back drums. Complimenting this is Kirk’s haunting vocal timbre, which flies high above the low doomy guitar tone. Their set is non-stop meaty bangers with the occasional slower, more thoughtful and easy-going tune. A steady chorus of “Here we f*cking go” (inevitably) strikes up around the halfway mark with Buckley jamming along, earning him rapturous applause.
The band’s early career was fraught with a series of line-up and name changes, seemingly unable to keep on an upward trajectory. With their first album gaining little attention or airplay, fellow Down bandmate Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Superjoint Ritual) produced their follow-up self-titled album, which began to garner more success for the band. Crowbar completed their twelfth studio album, Zero and Below, in 2022 and show no signs of stopping any time soon. They maintain an impressive standard throughout their exposition, entertaining and inviting the audience in with jokes and anecdotes. Late in the set, they mess up the introduction to a song and pass it off with a smile and a wink as a “free-form jam”, demonstrating a lack of ego that really allows the crowd to relish in the evening. Treating the fans to an extra song earns them the biggest pit of the evening, stretching from wall to wall and populated by an audience that refuses to tire. In this moment, it seemed to me that Crowbar are finally beginning to get the recognition they deserve for their pioneering influence on the greater doom metal scene.
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Photos by Alan Swan Photography
