Zebadiah Crowe – Host Rider (Non-Sucking Ministry Black Metal)

 

I had no idea what I was in for with this. It could have went so many ways and even the way it goes has me confused, lol. Metallum has Zebadiah Crowe pathetically listed as “black metal” and that sounds to me that whoever made the entry just gave up and said “well this is probably in here somewhere, I think…” Mix that with at least industrial and you sort of get these guys, but really it’s difficult to pin down anything in particular, and that’s part of the charm of listening to their rather relentless and unforgiving delivery in Host Rider. From its tongue-in-cheek opening synth march to its guttural bass blast, it’s a surprisingly eclectic mix of what-not that eventually drives the tongue all the way through the cheek by the end.

   

One of the things Zebadiah Crowe excel in is background layering; there is a lot going on behind the scenes in Host Rider. Various hideous textures peek out in a way that gives the incessantly harsh riffing more mass,which is much needed because hearing consistent and varied riffs is tough. If I’d formulate any complaint, it’s that these guys are too uncompromising with both their riff and vocal delivery. It tends to be a total barrage of indeterminate form with unexpected touches on the edges but it never really verges too much off of its blast attack path and the vocals somehow never run out of steam even though they’re the same, angry yell at the same, stepped-back level almost every moment. Still, if you want to hear something that will confuse you in a good way, it’s a definite line to add to a bucket list this year at least. Its powerful bass and curious sampling is just a part of it. Basically if Ministry didn’t suck now and had a little black metal, I guess, that’s what you could call it.

 

Zebadiah Crowe Official Facebook

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Zebadiah Crowe – Host Rider
Lore Breaker Records
Cover Art: Some Dude
4 / 5