UK band CROWSAW was formed in 2012, and released their debut album “Smoke & Feathers” in 2014, a production I gather got a favorable reception upon it’s release. One year later and the threesome have new material ready in the shape of the three track EP “Karma”, which is set for a March 2015 release.
I have to admit that listening to this EP was quite the curious experience for me, especially as the band describes themselves as a heavy blues rock band. The blues is at the core, of course, as this is a band based inside the rock universe, but those who know and like their blues isn’t what I’d describe as a core audience for this band. Alternative rock or metal sounds more appropriate to me. It’s not that style conventions and stuff like that is all that important, but for potential listeners it is a nice tool in terms of deciding what might and what might not be of interest.
Opening track The Answer does have a nice, blues-tinged guitar solo midways, tucked into a song that alternates between an effective, tantalizing gentle vocals and guitar verse and a punchier, dark toned guitar riff driven chorus section. The former more compelling than the latter as far as I’m concerned. The following track The Colours have the same tendency, a gentler, electronics laced verse section with careful guitar details and the stellar vocals of Rob Lomax crafting a delightful verse section, followed by a chorus section which doesn’t quite manage to intrigue me despite the chugging and compact guitar riffs employed for this section.
Concluding track Believe reverse the roles though, with a fine, delicate verse section of the nice enough variety following the Killing Joke-tinged drum roll opening, leading to a killer chorus section driven by circulating, grunge-tinged stoner rock guitar riffs, with a nice guitar solo run placed midways flavored with playful textures to good effect.
Three strong tracks in the alternative rock or arguably alternative metal vein, all of them with strong and compelling sections that instills a desire to hear the songs “just one more time”. Defining a key audience for this band is, at least for me, something of a challenge, but I’d suggest that those who have Led Zeppelin and Soundgarden as treasured items in their music collections might fancy a slice of the music that Crowsaw has to offer as well.
My rating: 80/100
