A successful debut EP release, a split release with Lavotchkin, what seemed to be endless tours both in the UK and Europe, as well as gaining respect from music magazines and blogs were all only just behind Crocus when half of their band decided to leave (the drummer and vocalist). Instead of packing up and calling it quits, Crocus dusted themselves off, recruited new members and here is the spoils of their efforts, their debut album, Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust, on Holy Roar Records.
Frenetic, frenzied, aggressive, jagged, unrelentless, passionate. These are all words you could use to describe this album but that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust‘s nine tracks are all choc-a-bloc full of interesting musical ideas, at times it’s hardcore, tech metal, math rock, post rock, jazz, but overall it’s an afflicting uncomfortable assault on your ears (and I mean that in the nicest way possible). Imagine if Battles took loads of crack, got pissed off and wrote a record. Imagine if The Locust suddenly got aggressive on us rather than just plain weird. Imagine if bands like Norma Jean said a big fuck you to chorus’ and just wrote what the hell they wanted to. Imagine if Dillinger Escape Plan turned their back on this southern tinged sound they seem to have these days and went back to their roots. I think even then, I’d still only be part way into explaining what this record, and Crocus sound like.
This isn’t an easy listen. Hell, I can already sense the majority of people coming out with that age old comment “It’s just noise” but music shouldn’t always be comfortable enough to be fed into you, sometimes it should punch you in the face over and over until you get it. Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust does just that, and I admire it so much for doing so.
[rating: 4]
http://www.facebook.com/CROCUS.BAND
http:// www.crocus.bigcartel.com
