By Andrew Bansal
As a follow-up to their hugely impressive debut LP ‘Vertical Mass Grave’, Chicago-based trio Czar came out with their sophomore full-length effort titled ‘No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive’, via Cracknation Records this year. As the album’s title and cover artwork aptly suggests, their delivery of heavy, sludgy riffs through clean guitar tones is enveloped within an extremely downcast, depressing atmosphere and hence the primary strength of this album is the sheer strength of the expression its attempting to portray. Tunes like ‘Whorchard’, ‘Black In Black’ and ‘Megafauna’ stand out but the entirety of the album is worthwhile. Even amidst its largely down-tempo, thought-provoking vibe, the album throws in fast-paced, hard-hitting segments at opportune moments. It certainly colors a basic stoner sludge metal sound with pigments of old-school industrial rock, the good industrial rock, not the kind that serves as dance music in modern times. This dirgy 44-minute set of 10 tunes definitely requires the listener to be in a specific frame of mind, seeking to feel a specific emotion and perhaps even be in suitable weather, so it’s not for everyone and does not fit all moods, but is a creative masterpiece nonetheless.
Track Listing:
1. Whorchard
2. Aortic Flower
3. Black In Black
4. Fuming Rotter
5. Lurvy
6. She’s So Heavy
7. Spitter Attack
8. Megafauna
9. Priestess
10.Empty Thrones
Duration: 43.8 minutes
Visit Czar on the web at:
facebook.com/CzarChicago
CzarChicago.bandcamp.com
The countdown so far …
#50. Nails – Abandon All Life
#49. American Sharks – Self-Titled
#48. Hatebreed – The Divinity Of Purpose
#47. Helen Money – Arriving Angels
#46. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control
#45. Ihsahn – Das Seelenbrechen
#44. Church Of Misery – Thy Kingdom Scum
#43. Wolvserpent – Perigaea Antahkarana
#42. Djinn And Miskatonic – Forever In The Realm
#41. Czar – No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive
Check out #40 here.