Jumbo's Killcrane--The Slow Decay
Crucial Blast 2004
For the longest time, sludge as a form has found itself in a predicament similar to the one that destroyed "stoner rock"--too much parody and not enough originality. Still, every now and then some grime practitioners will come along with just enough of a fresh take on things to breathe new life into the style. Enter Jumbo's Killcrane. On their fourth album, The Slow Decay, they provide a listen much better than the typical Eyehategod cookie cuttery that has made sludge go stale.
Of all the things that make The Slow Decay a worthwhile disc, its sense of roots tops the list. Obvious comparisons would lead one to point towards a band like Weedeater. However, there's also a sort of AmRep slant to this music, making Jumbo's Killcrane a potential revelation for fans of groups such as the Jesus Lizard, Helmet, and the Melvins. This stuff is slow, low, and fuzzed, but with that huffing-paint-behind-the-shed pissed off quality of yore. Add a penchant for prog influenced shifts in riff and time signature, and you're looking at a pretty special offering.
As crushing as The Slow Decay is in its entirety, moments of standout shine brightest for their subtle uniqueness. The vocals on "Coital Abyss" create a life sucking vortex of negativity, while the anguished vox of "Brown" winds up the sonic eqivalent of poking caged tweakers with a stick. The album's title track boasts a noodly psych-tinged lead, with "Die, Stabbed" slipping into jazz territory a bit, very Eastern feeling during its main solo.
So, if you're tired of the same old EHG hero worship, Jumbo's Killcrane have you covered. By acknowledging a deeper and wider array of influences than the competition, The Slow Decay comes out a winner. The press release for this bad boy says the guys will be on the road with Weedeater soon, so if you want to experience drugged out hell on Earth, make sure to catch one of those shows. Agoraphobic or otherwise, this disc will suffice as a fitting substitute for in-the-flesh consumption, though.
Score this CD directly from CRUCIAL BLAST
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