I
do not know if it's maturity
of sell out, but whenever is something
changing in the musical direction
of a band is a challenge for the
fans. It is them that they have to
understand "why". 36
Crazyfists is one the critical bands
in metalcore. Now that they found
the warmness and comfort of the Ferret
Music aegis, the band has shifted
to a more melodic direction. Personally
I do not think it's necessarily
wrong. Everything depends on the
overall outcome. And how is that?
Well, unavoidably "The Tide
and Its Takers" is an album
destined to divide. It is destined
to divide the fans on the issue mentioned
above, but also on the quality level
of the tracks. The good tracks are
really good, but the tracks of inferior
level are really disappointing. To
complicate things even more, I read
and hear many opinions about the
album and this classification (good,
bad, indifferent or whatever) is
purely subjective. The ones that
work for me won't do the same
with you.
For example, I hear people
praising the calmer songs of the
album, such as "Waiting On a
War" and
the self-titled, but to me these
songs are… should I say fillers?
Quite soft tracks that have nothing
important to say. Instead, tracks
of virtuous performances and uncontrolled
power, like "Absent are the
Saints" (simply the best track
of the album), "When Distance
is the Closest Reminder", "Northern
November" (brilliant drumming
by Thomas Noonan) and the opening "All
Night Lights", are simply great.
All feature awesome guitar work and
beautifully crafted choruses, which
mark the "new" identity
of 36ers! These are also fine examples
of the more melodic aspect of the
band, without disregarding their
metal roots.
A point of consensus
about the album is the fact that "The
Tide and Its Takers" seems an
album of transition in the career
of 36 Crazyfists. Probably it would
be right to say that it's an
album of introspection. What I mean
is that I have the feeling the band
is trying to invent new formulas
of expression and it is this effort
that results in a doubtful outcome.
The
album has all the attractive ingredients
for metalcore fans, such as guest appearances
by Candace Kucsulain from Walls of
Jericho on "Vast and Vague" and
Adam Jackson from Twelve Tribes on "Clear
the Coast", as well as Andy Sneap
behind the mixing board. It is left
to them (the fans I mean) to decide
if the album suits them or not. It
remains though a very good option by
a classy band of the genre. |
