Crowbar (US band)

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Crowbar
Origin New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genre(s) Doom metal
Sludge metal
Years active 1989–present
Label(s) Zoo
Associated acts Acid Bath
Black Label Society
Corrosion of Conformity
Down
Eyehategod
Mystick Krewe of Clearlight
Pantera
Superjoint Ritual
Valume Nob
Kingdom of Sorrow
Website www.crowbarmusic.com
Members
Kirk Windstein
Steve Gibb
Patrick Bruders
Tommy Buckley
Former members
Todd "Sexy T" Strange
Craig Nunenmacher
Kevin Noonan
Matt Thomas
Jimmy Bower
Sammy Duet
Sid Montz
Tony Costanza
Jeff Okoneski
Rex Brown

Crowbar is an American doom/sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, characterized by their extremely slow, low-keyed, heavy and brooding songs that also contain fast hardcore punk passages. Crowbar is considered to be one of the most influential metal bands to come out of the NOLA metal scene.

Contents

[edit] History

Starting in 1989 and taking its name from the Crowbar group in New Orleans,[vague] Kirk Windstein went on to pioneer slow and heavy music with a unique vocal style and hardcore punk influences that resulted in fast passages uncharacteristic of traditional doom metal. Their first album, Obedience Through Suffering was released in 1991, but failed to achieve notoriety. By 1993's self-titled (Crowbar) album, personal friend Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual) produced the record, which eventually led to national promotion on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. In addition, the videos for "All I Had (I Gave)" and "Existence is Punishment" were played on Beavis and Butthead. Following this success the band went on to record music videos, embark on major tours with Pantera, and record more albums.

Their stage antics, immortalized in the Pantera "Home Video 3" and Crowbar's "Like Broken Glass" home video, became infamous. The band continued recording and touring. In 1994, the Pantera video for the song 'I'm Broken' showed Philip Anselmo wears a Crowbar / Eyehategod t-shirt. Original drummer Craig Nunenmacher left the band in 1996 and was replaced by Jimmy Bower from Down and Eyehategod, and for their 1996 release Anselmo sang back up on a few tracks on "Broken Glass."

In 2000, after recording and releasing Equilibrium with Sid Montz on drums, original drummer Craig Nunenmacher rejoined the band, for the "Penchant For Violence Tour" with "the Brotherhood of Brewtality" Black Label Society and Sixty Watt Shaman. Half way through the tour, Nunenmacher replaced BLS's drummer Phil Ondich and pulled double duty for the rest of the tour, eventually joining BLS permanently.

As time moved on the band lost its founding members with the exception of vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein. After Todd Strange left the band, the trademark 300 pound + band members slimmed down, leaving the heaviness in the music only. The band continues to perform, borrowing members from NOLA metal bands like Goatwhore and Acid Bath. In their recent 2005 release, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, Pantera bassist Rex Brown lent his bass skills and keyboard playing. Down's producer, Warren Riker, assisted in production.

Also in 2005, "Existence" appeared on the Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection #3 DVD.

In March 2008 it was announced that their albums — "Crowbar" (1993), "Time Heals Nothing" (1995) and "Live+1" EP (1995) will be reissued in Europe on April 21, 2008 with bonus and multimedia tracks.[1]

The band is also known for covering other band's material and putting a heavy spin on it. Crowbar covers Gary Wright's, "Dream Weaver", on their Equilibrium album and Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" on "Odd Fellows Rest", and Led Zeppelins "No Quarter" on "Crowbar".

The band was notorious for redefining the word "heavy": During Sexy T's and Jimmy Bower's time in the band, the mass weight of the band members was well over 800 pounds (close to half a ton). Sexy T left the band in 2000 and has not been replaced with any other large musician.

[edit] Members

[edit] Current members

[edit] Former members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Music videos

  • "Subversion" (1991)
  • "All I Had (I Gave)" (1993)
  • "Existence Is Punishment" (1993)
  • "Like Broken" (Full Length Home Video) (1995)
  • "The Only Factor" (1995)
  • "Broken Glass" (1996)
  • "I Feel the Burning Sun" (2000)
  • "Dead Sun" (2005) (Filmed in Miami, Florida around August 2004 and directed by John-Martin Vogel and Robert Lisman)
  • "Lasting Dose" (2005)
  • "Slave No More" (2005) (Filmed in Miami, Florida on June 21, 2005 and directed by John-Martin Vogel and Robert Lisman)

[edit] References

  1. ^ "CROWBAR Albums To Be Reissued", Blabbermouth.net, March 20, 2008. Retrieved on 2007-05-17. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links