This is definite growth to me and I can't wait to hear it live.
Oh my goodness – this is all rather marvellous! Crobot are back, and they're pushing ahead with the development of their sound. The band's debut album had them compared to Clutch, but their last release pushed them more towards Stoner Metal with a touch of Funk; now we this and there's yet another musical twist.
'Burn' is an absolute piledriver of dirty grooves and throat grabbing vocals. It shakes you so violently you'll need a rest afterwards – if you don't, you'll never be able to deal with the rest of the album. It's awash with searing solos and grinding riffs, but that's not all; when they slow the pace with the likes of 'Drown', the Stoner element of their earlier work lingers, while 'Low Life' is that "toothy" (long story) Classic Rock sound knocked out by Rival Sons.
Yes, there's still that Black Sabbath menace, but there's also Black Stone Cherry riffs along with some Soundgarden and Audioslave aspects (see 'Stoning The Devil' if you want that all in one song) so their sound is clearly continuing to develop and branch out. It's a bit of tightrope, showing an open face whilst attempting to please original fans – just don't look down...
Will the fans go with it? I bloody well hope so. This is definite growth to me and I can't wait to hear it live.
Ms. D