Crumbsuckers
Life of Dreams

For the "almost completely forgotten listens" series, today I will dust off this old album, unjustifiably kept away from the needle of my turntable for a long time.

Despite their international fame, the Crumbsuckers often remain in the shadow of more prominent bands. Speaking of NYHC or worse still if we talk about Thrash-Core, they clearly disappear among a myriad of bands. Yet the Crumbsuckers were valid, they had their own sound, a good reputation, and their particularity: technique.

In 1986, they were among the few who anticipated what was later called Crossover. Equipped with an instrumental preparation out of the ordinary, they technically swept away all their peers in the scene despite their young age, proving to be of a higher level even compared to bands with already active albums and EPs. This cadenced, fast, and varied music ranged from techno-thrash (a term I consider more than unfortunate) to simple and brutal tracks. Guitar harmonizations of an old metal school and solos that made even Slayer & Company envious flowed relentlessly in short and determined tracks. Nothing was more fitting to spread their antisocial and metropolitan frenzy, from Dave Brady's corroded voice to Dave Wynn's futuristic guitar parts, nothing to detract then from drummer Kevin Carroll and bassist Meskil whom we will later see with his Pro-Pain. This was one of the many reasons why their New York performances did not go unnoticed and their first album "Life of Dreams" became a small cult of the genre.

Similar sounds became increasingly common along the way, many bands found success, but at the same time bands like these Crumbsuckers, who almost invented the genre, had a less fortunate fate, remaining today idolized only by nostalgics and niche enthusiasts. The flaw, if it can be called a flaw, is that "Life of Dreams" has a hard and caveman sound, consisting of songs too difficult to digest, also due to an occasionally exaggerated use of virtuosity, which I must emphasize was not for the sake of it. On the other hand, more fortunate descendant albums leveraged decidedly refined sounds and breathtaking productions, with a strong consideration of much more "soft" sounds.

Listening to this album is a real pleasure. I find it pointless to mention any particular track, I believe the best way to savor this band is to listen to the album from start to finish. Genre lovers will not disdain it.