Toscrew - Crawl (Review)

"They've wipped the drawing board and started with a fresh open mind"

It’s been a long while since I’ve last listened to a full doom metal release, but Toscrew, I think have refreshed the way I see the genre. I used to thing that all there was to doom metal was just some real thick and guitar work along with rougher than average clean vocals. However, I never knew that actual rhythm and depth could be introduced into the genre, which is something that Toscrew have done and have done quite well. For all those who have heard their debut album, Antiego, must know that the music on Crawl is extremely dissimilar, if not, nothing alike. They’ve definitely made a drastic change to their music and I guess would could say it was for the better.

To be honest, I believe that the more pure, and in you fucking face style of doom metal suits Toscrew more than the blackened death/doom mixture they had in Antiego. I felt that the main reason why Antiego didn’t release its full potential was simply because, the sound just didn’t suit them. The high pitch shrieks were incongruent with the guitar work, the drumming was quick however the overall pace of the music was quite slow and the structure was just really average. The only thing that they really did extremely well was the power behind the music itself. All I can say is that they’ve literally turned everything around with Crawl. There are no more; high pitch black metal shrieks, extremely fast and technical drumming, and I cannot forget to mention that the overall production of their EP is clearer, and stronger (i.e. the music stands out a lot better). Hot damn, I love it when bands improve from their previous material to something way better.

People tend to throw the word “catchy” around too often nowadays, “oh this is catchy” and “oh that is catchy”. This why I believe that the power of the world has been diluted (a bit like the word love: “I love pancakes” does not have the same implications as saying “I love *insert name here* ”) . Well, I rarely (if not ever) use this word, but I believe it is appropriate for Crawl. Some of the opening and mid-track riffs are so damn catchy, I could just re-play them over and over again. It’s the type of music that would go perfectly well with a bank robbery scene or footage of extreme sports like motocross. Thanks to the change in guitar tone, this is now possible. There would be no way in hell that the same effect could have been made using their old black metalish guitar tuning, it would have sounded silly and I would have started laughing at the music rather than head banging to it.

I don’t really know why, but I get a really relaxing feeling when I listen to Crawl. It’s not the type of music I would sleep to, but it would be something that I would most likely sit on a bus and listen to or something. The smoothness of the guitar tuning (along with clam and atmospheric guitar solos), and slow slack vocal style give this sense, which is something I didn’t feel from Antiego. It’s the type of music that I would imagine people who smoke weed or live the laid back surf/hippie lifestyle would listen to. Once again, another improvement in Crawl of Antiego. 

For odd reason, there seems to be more and more bands from the; African, Asian and European continents who are being “westernized”, i.e. attaining or incorporating American influences into not only the music, but the production of the albums/EP/demos themselves. Toscrew is one such band, first of all the lyrics are all in English, which means that we actually understand what the vocalist is saying and connect. Also, anyone who have heard Antiego would know that all the track titles are in Hungarian (perhaps it may have something to do with the fact that they’re from Hungary). However, all the track titles in Crawl are in english. This change in language preference may not seem very significant, but its implications are far more widespread than what some people may think. I noticed that many English speaking metal heads tend to have more respect for English speaking artists which hints that Toscrew is planning for a huge album or next release. This is why I believe that Toscrew may have leaned towards a more westernized sound to their music this time round.  

That being said, even though Toscrew have made some drastic changes to their music, some elements of their previous music which still lingers around in Crawl, two in specific; black metal and death metal. When you first listen to Crawl, initially you probably won’t notice either of these elements, but if you let yourself be immersed by the music, you should be able to detect  some slight hints of traces, particularly in the guitar riffs. Also there are a few moments where the vocalist lets out a black metal style scream (rather than a shriek). This adds an extra dimension to the music which was previously bland and boring (i.e. doom metal in general) and something that Toscrew have incorporated quite well in their music.

Overall, I strongly believe that Crawl is a major step forward for Toscrew. Mainly because it shows that they’ve been refining their sound, and what suits them best and this thick, in-your-face style of doom metal I think fits them. Unlike other doom metal bands who typically stick to one structure, one vocal style, one atmosphere, Toscrew have added layers and layers of dimension to their music to make it as interesting as possible and considering that this is the first doom metalish release that I didn’t fall asleep on is saying something. Also, this has to be one of the most perfectly and flawlessly produced EP I’ve heard, I could hear every beat and every sound wave. I know that Toscrew have really pulled out all the stops into giving us the most perfect taste of what we could possibly expect later in the year or early next year. As far as recommending tracks go, if you want something catchy I’d go with “No Chance”, if you want something a little more rough check out “Crawl” and if you like something with a little bit of jazziness to it, I’d go with “Answer Me”. I give Toscrew’s Crawl EP a 16/20.

16/20

*Sorry no preview tracks for this release, there should be one soon though!*

Toscrew - Antiego

Toscrew - Antiego

Antiego is Toscrew’s debut album and second studio release which comprises of 8 tracks. This album was released in 2011, and wasn’t produced by any recording label. These guys have labelled themselves as being blackend death doom metal, and I wouldn’t disagree. These guys feature practically all of those elements in their music. Especially the death and black metal elements. So in short these guys are basically an extreme metal band, which have mustered everything about extreme metal and created this extremely extreme band!

These guys have taken three extreme metal genres and have tried to manipulate all of them into their sound. I have to say, they have done an impressive job at this. The first and most obvious genre that has influenced these guys would have to be death metal. Almost all extreme metal bands nowadays that create hybrid genres have elements of death metal in their sound, and these guys are no exception. This album features death metal style riffs, and a pace that a typical death metal band would normally play at. There is also a strong death metal vibe in their music, I’m not exactly sure what it is about the drumming, but it seems to have distinctive death metal influences. Also, the song structure of most of the tracks seems to be a death give away of the death metal roots involved as well.

The next primary influence in their music would definitely have to be black metal, no doubt about it. Sometimes they appear to have similar feelings and atmospheres as a regular black metal band. From what I can tell, they have utilized two different styles of atmosphere which are 99% of the time present in black metal. The first style to mention is the style you would normally find in bands such as Darkthrone, it’s fairly dark and eerie but it doesn’t exactly sound sad. For some reason, this adds a sense of rawness to their music and makes it sound quite abrasive, hey what do you know, this is also another trait extreme metal bands have. The next atmosphere these guys have that is also commonly found in black metal. But it’s more from the brutal side of things and almost all brutal black metal bands have this and this does include bands like Marduk and Endstille. The primary cause of this would have to be the guitar work and tuning/distortion of them. The notes that are played in such a way that there aren’t any gaps in between them, which gives the music a similar atmosphere that is normally present in modern day brutal black metal.

I think that the vocals sound awfully black metalish as well, the vocalist utilizes are extremely high shrieks of despair rather than a typical black metal shriek. When I mean despair, I really mean sheiks of despair that are commonly found in many depressive suicidal black metal bands across the board. But I believe that this has as much to do with the next extreme metal element which is in their music. These guys do have a strong doom metal influence in them, which is just the thing these guys need to wrap their music up. The music sounds quite depressive at times, this EP probably has one of the heaviest atmospheres I have ever heard and is maintained throughout the whole thing. But they have also maintained the severity of the music in a way that is unlike anything I’ve heard. This is most likely due to death and black metal elements in their music.

Musically these guys are pretty decent as well. All of the band members have seemed to pull their weight for the creation of this album. There might be a few glitches here and there but that’s made up by the overwhelming power of the rest of the music.

The vocals, like I’ve mentioned before sound very much like shrieks of despair commonly found in black metal bands. They are extremely raspy and very high pitch as well, at times the vocalist might slide up to a higher pitch to add a little variety but most of the times he just uses the same style. But, for whatever reason, the only connection I can make with other vocalists would have to be Burzum. The vocals on here sound just like a turned down version of Varg’s style of vocals on Det Som Engang Var. Sure, they might not be as high pitch or as powerful, but they do have a very similar tone to them.

Now the guitars have a very strong sound and edge to them. There are times where it can get to the point when it can even seem overwhelmingly powerful (in a positive way). This is most likely because of the distortion of the guitars, the distortion they have used is extremely harsh. They basically scream extreme metal at you when listening to this. I also think that the guitarist has done a great job of utilizing this to make sure that the music sounds filling at all times because after all, this is a three man band. So I’m guessing that leaving holes in the music could be an issue for the band. But luckily there aren’t any holes that I can pick out and I think that this is mainly due to the guitar work.

Ok now to the drumming, the drumming in particular has the characteristics of a death metal. They are at just the right pace and tone, not to mention the style that is used. Although the drumming is of a death metal style, I don’t feel that the drummer have fully satisfied the extreme metal requirements. For some reason, the blast beats don’t seem to be as potent as what I would have expected from such an extreme metal influenced band. At times, I feel that drummer lags behind the rest a little in terms of speed. When it comes to softer parts, he does do a fairly good job at keeping things together and basically the only time where the drumming comes to its full potential.

In terms of variety, I have to admit that these guys actually have very little in here. Sure they might differ in speed and feeling at times, but they all seem to have the same base line. This is only an eight track album so it doesn’t really matter that much. The opening track is titled Semmibe születés and it’s a musical track. This is basically the depressive musical that you normally find in extreme metal, especially in black metal and doom metal is the perfect intro to start something like this. The next track is Időből and it is probably the track that summarises what this band is all about when it somes to the black/death metal department. The riffs are played in a black metal style and the drumming is of a death metal style. But these are times where the guitars sounds like the riffs are from neither genre, there are times, where it almost sound like alternative rock. It’s a very modern twist to and otherwise classic realm of metal. I guess that Időből is the only track really worth mentioning, it’s not because the rest is bad, it’s just that this track summarises the whole release.

Overall, this is not a bad way to go about releasing a debut album. The music is fairly clean and solid, and thank god that these guys have chosen to record this is high quality, it would have been horrible in crappy quality. I really like the way they have integrated three genres into one to create something that can only be described as extreme metal. These guys basically shout extreme metal. But this album isn’t exactly perfect though, there are times where the music can sound a little loose, especially with the drumming. Also, there is little variety in terms of style and atmosphere. Almost all of the tracks have the exact same musical styles and vibe to them. That’s why I’m going to only recommend one track. I recommend the track Időből because it will give you a good indication of what this band is about. So if you like it or you think that these guys might have something new to offer, try the rest of the album because it won’t kill you. Overall, I think this would make a nice little addition to any extreme metal fans collection because these guys would fit right in. I give Toscrew’s Antiego a 14/20.