Crisis
The Hollowing

“Crisis were, according to many who know music, one of the greatest extreme bands of the nineties (sic)[…] I recommend you get […] "The Hollowing," which is an outstanding album(sic)[… ]” (discussion on an Italian forum). In reality, the genius of this band is quite debatable, despite offering a type of sound that breaks away from the usual hardcore metal standards. Crisis are ultra-underground, heavily influenced by death metal, they have decent ideas (above all: “Mechanical Man”, “Fires Of Sorrow”, “Kingdom’s End”, “Sleeping The Wicked”, “Discipline Of Degradation”), and they are able to span across various genres, even those seemingly incompatible with each other. One might think of System Of A Down, but here there are no hysterical vocalizations of Serj Tankian and the related convulsive rhythms: rather, there is the voice of the ultra-stylish singer (technically gifted, capable of alternating angelic clean parts with neurotic screams) on a rhythm that could not be flatter. Particularly annoying is a certain doomish cadence, truly tedious and unengaging, and tracks extended to the listener's suicide. Quite clear, among other things, is the influence of early Soundgarden (as in “Vision And The Verity”), of Black Sabbath, and of some works of Nirvana – and so far, this is good and right.

Totally un-melodic, to understand them just consider the attitude to disgust of Cannibal Corpse and remove the monstrous technique of its components. A punk-hardcore death-oriented sound, often recalling (perhaps unintentionally) the "nu-metal" sound, appreciable to be kind, quite mediocre overall. In a few rare moments, one almost cries out for a miracle, in all others, they seem like an angry version of the Eurythmics. Their sound is characterized by an ultra-compressed bass, tuned to lower tones than hell, capable of somewhat repetitive introductory arpeggios. Then we have a bland and anonymous guitar (detestable is the fact that it almost always goes in unison with the bass), and drums that seem programmed to kill (in every sense). The singer is the only one above the lines, but does not stand out as she should, obviously. To annoy further, predictable solos that could not be more so, a copycat riff that seems to repeat in every track, and electronic effects scattered here and there truly useless.

It's fine to be acidic and corrosive, it's fine to play and invent a genre (this yes), but here we are light-years away from a masterpiece. Then, of course, these are artistic choices, maybe debatable, maybe unpopular: some artists make half an hour of track with a single chord, and not for this do we feel obliged to consider them ditch-diggers. I do not think Crisis are that, all in all, only something in their setup needs to change. Perhaps they need to be listened to several times to be understood: I have done so, and the considerations are those you have read. You might like them, I repeat, it's not madness. Enjoy the listening...