Sometimes, an album floods me with feelings and inspires poetic passages to describe the way in which the band awakens feelings, urges, and desires in listeners like me. Other times, they just pummel my poor ears and brain until I submit. Crystalline is one of the latter. I could think of all kinds of fancy words and clever analogies to describe the kind of trip this album takes me on, especially considering all the sounds it reminds of. The harmonious shout vocals of mid-period Mastodon, the groove-heavy riffing of Clutch, the atmospheric crunch of Baroness, the mood setting dark detours of Tool; all are present and accounted for during the album's first three tracks. Familiarity alone, however, doesn't make an awesome record. Some bands practice a near plagiarist form of flattery, which usually only serves to remind the listener how much better the bands they ape are. But HARK pays service to the aforementioned groups while letting their own identity shine through. T...
SOMEHOW STILL A THING