66Crusher: Blackest Day

It would be fair to suggest that Opeth have opened doors for other bands to walk through in terms of illustrating how effective it can be to combine the more extreme end of metal with other less obvious genres and also by opening the ears and minds of music fans to that very same fact. Now comes 66Crusher, do they sound like Opeth? Well yes and no. This Norwegian outfit do use similar dynamics in terms of mixing some beautiful almost acoustic moments with far more brutal, yet progressive themes and also in the manner with which they have turned those genres on their heads to make something that really doesn't quite sound like anyone else.

As you take repeated journeys through the band's second album proper (two sets of demos were released in 2001 and 2004 respectively before Truth Unmasked arrived in 2007), so it becomes apparent that 66Crusher are playing what is possibly best described as progressive metal, but with beautiful acoustic passages and black/death metal influences, while never really becoming any of those named genres. Now don't go running for the hills at the mention of black metal, as the stylings of that genre are used more as an aggressive form of punctuation rather than a building block for the 66Crusher sound. Yes this album is called Blackest Day, but if you tied me down and threatened me with a feather duster to feet until I plumped for what genre this band ply, then the answer would have to be prog metal. Actually imagine Opeth's Damnation album was played in the style of prog metal and you won't be a million miles away from the glorious, rich and brutally beautiful songs on this album. Add to that the clear and crisp tones of singer Jarle Olsvoll and you really do have a collection of songs that will appeal to any of the more open minded of you out there who are willing, or in fact delighted to be challenged by their music, but in a manner that pays off handsomely in the end. Choosing highlights is one of those tasks that is easier sidestepped by saying that really each and every one of the nine songs on Blackest Day is an aural wonder full of twists, turns, snarls and kisses that will delight, surprise, scare and seduce in equal measures.

So hats off to Martin Legreid (guitars), Øystein Kummen (Bass) Håkon Obdsaija Bergstad (Drums) and Olsvoll, who also plays guitar as well as singing, for creating music that is completely captivating and never derivate of other bands and genres. This is the sort of album that deserves to be heard by vast swathes of people and I urge you to follow the link at the bottom of the page, click "Listen to music" and experience this wonderful band for yourself.

Track Listing
1. Blackest Day
2. Warmonger
3. Unsaid
4. Concept Of Elimination
5. Recreated Reality
6. Borderline
7. Shipwrecked
8. Diminished Mind
9. Us Beneath The Sea

Added: May 28th 2011
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: 66Crusher
Hits: 3849
Language: english

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