Metal Underground.com

Crowbar’s album “Sever the Wicked Hand” is both classic sounding and very, very different than before. The sound is very heavy, slow, and painful, but there is also a tone of achievement. With front man Kirk Windstein’s highly publicized new found sobriety, Crowbar’s latest album is not just forlorn, it’s victorious. You can see that in songs like “Cleanse Me, Heal Me,” “A Farewell to Misery,” and “I Only Deal in Truth.”

Kirk Windstein has done an amazing job playing the guitar, but his vocals really are superb. Every word in his deep moans is annunciated so well that you can clearly hear every word he says. You can more easily understand his pain and elation in this album. This line from “Isolation” chilled me to the bone and conjured up bad memories: “To trust in you was proof to me I was a fool.” Matt Brunson also on the axe keeps up with Kirk wailing the most sorrowful riffs you’ve ever heard. “Let Me Mourn” has very simple, yet heavy riffs throughout that are just irresistible.

Tommy Buckley’s punctuations have a bluesy timing, feeling around the music for a beat instead of strictly timing each shot like a metronome. It adds more soul to the music like in “Echo an Eternity,” and even the faster songs like “The Cemetery Angels.” The only issue I had with “Sever the Wicked Hand” was a weaker bass line. You may have to tweak your system to get more out of it. The tunes aren’t grounded enough at most times by the bass; the essential substance is just not as present as it should be.

Crowbar’s specialty is served again and many of the songs just cut right through you to reveal your own anguish. “Sever the Wicked Hand” is destined to be one of the band’s most beloved albums yet.