Crux – Rev Smrti/Scream of Death
Formed in 1988 by members of Root and Denet, Crux is very much a product of its time. A thrashing, black metal attack can be found on this re-release by I Hate Records, featuring demo material remastered from the original tapes, a band history in the liner notes composed by the band themselves, along with expanded photos from the original releases. Having never heard this band before, the overall look of this release is very unsuspecting, featuring just a poor band photo for the cover, but the music as it turns out is very well produced and indicative of the late 80’s, early 90’s evil side of thrash metal. Less technical than the German’s (who undoubtedly reigned supreme during this era), this Czech trio concentrated on sensible song structures that weren’t without their fair share of surprises and solos, but the riffs themselves just instantly make a lot of sense and are flowing with a dark aura often found in the Euro scene of yore. I imagine a lot of this evil enchantment flowed over into Root’s (yet another band that I’ve never taken the time to fully explore) music since Crux was more or less disbanded so that 2 of its members could concentrate on Root, but this re-release re-opens the gate on what appears to be a rich glimpse into Crux’s sadly overlooked history. The mid-ranged vocal snarl offers the blackened charm for very dense riffs and masterfully plotted tempo shifts to be leaning more towards post thrash worship. You know… that early era of death metal where thrash was quietly dying and death metal releases focused more on well written music/riffs, rather than relying on unbridled blast beats. Crux were very skilled musicians, making sure that each track possessed a character and direction all its own, reveling in the aforementioned mystical elements, probably inspired by fellow countrymen Master’s Hammer. Nice acoustic guitar accompaniment further adds to the atmosphere of this material. I went into this release totally unaware and uncaring of this classic band, and by the mid-way point, I have been completely won over by the songsmithing ability and furious lust on display for a style of sinister music that encompasses several different metal sub-genres and just never seems to grow old with the passage of time. Fans of Root, Torr and Masters Hammer take note! -Marty
I HATE
Worm Gear 