CRASHFACE – “Life And Death In The Wasteland” EP REVIEW
13th September 2024Back in April, there was a little clash in the Welsh Capital. Not quite on the scale of WWE when they put on their premium live event at the Principality (They don’t call them pay-per-views anymore for some corporate bollocks, I digress), but while the good folk at Noizze put on their first ever Noizzefest, taking over Fuel and The Moon Club in Womanby Street, which went down really well I must add (Shout out to their team for the hard work and dedication), there were other bands booked literally next door at Clwb Ifor Bach for a completely separate tour, which All About The Rock were pencilled in for. Today we’re going to be highlighting one of those bands; CRASHFACE.
The London outfit were the main support to THE CRUEL KNIVES and truth be told they really impressed this reviewer, with their blistering nu-metalcore performance, and they brought the energy in abundance to the intimate downstairs venue. On September 13th, Crashface unleash their new EP “Life And Death In The Wasteland”, and we ask ourselves, is this what takes them beyond the Thunderdome? Well, there’s only one way to find out…
The EP opens with “Atrocity” and we’ve got this initial hushed sense of almost trap / drum & bass inspired percussion, with jovial key tinkering, subtle jungle elements, before we absolutely erupt into the track, and boy is this visceral. The high-octane delivery of the fast-paced punk-infused rock is incredible, and this is spat with intent. The chorus is absolutely scorching, and the electronic qualities, coupled with the cheeky autotuned segments that balance out the ferocity result in an onslaught you must appreciate and admire.
In many ways, we follow this with arguably the EP’s weakest track; “C.H.A.I.N.S.A.W” and that’s purely a case of first impressions. Let me explain. As the track grows and develops, it falls into a steady sense of rhythm, groove and bounce-along quality. It does BECOME a decently catchy alternative rock track with breakdown-aspects, and it delivers hooks, but the beginning of this track is so off-kilter it’s practically messy. The attempted rap ideas, repeated lyrics and quirky instrumentation take a minute to find their feet and it’s like, OK, they’ve tried something, but they’re struggling with the pull-cord to get it going. Maybe that’s intentional and they’re more creative than I anticipated. Maybe I’ve just given them a perfect out. We’ll never know. This could be Leatherface, this could be face-palm…you be the judge.
A bit of yoyo treatment now as we jump to arguably the EP’s strongest song. For any alternative artist, looking to make a name for yourself in the music industry; genre and principles aside, a solid, accessible, mainstream tune is always a good thing to have in your arsenal, and that’s exactly what we have here with “Bubblegum”. It gives off up-beat NECK DEEP type vibes and is rich in pop-punk personality, and the hooks here are wonderful. It’s not ground-breaking but it’s got such positive energy and sing-along qualities. It deals with mental health in the most happy-go-lucky manner, giving off “If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry” energy, and a lot of us can relate to that.
We follow this up with the track “Maniac” featuring Sam Matlock of WARGASM, another London based electronic/alternative duo who have been riding waves of popularity over the past 12 months or so. We get an intense, brooding intro that could easily come out of a NINE INCH NAILS writing session, before it falls back into the angst-riddled hardcore punk aesthetics the band have embraced. Despite managing to house more wonderfully crafted hooks for the chorus here, they don’t half let rip and this nothing short of mordant. You see the word maniac and frankly you’re like, OK, I believe him. You’d give this man loose change for the bus home just to be left alone. You know it’s going towards drugs, you don’t even care. In fact, you order the man an Uber and write the fucker a Christmas card, even though it’s August. What’s your address mate? I’ll have a Domino’s waiting for you when you get home. Two for Tuesday, you can have both, honestly, it’s no problem. Alright I may have exaggerated, but this goes HARD.
Finally, we finish up on “Surrender Lessons” and we incorporate a lot of classic heavy metal tropes that blend into an aggressive pop-punk creativity, and it’s truly an enjoyable onslaught from the moment it starts. It ends the EP on an enjoyably energetic barrage of riffs and raucousness, and quite frankly you can’t help but to surrender to the vibes Crashface bring. For a band so fresh and new to the alternative rock scene in the UK, they have grabbed the bull by the horns, and they’ve delivered on all fronts. They ooze charisma, character and confidence, peddling a mixture of nu-metal nostalgia, with modern heavy pop-punk and an aggravation that can only come from a place of honesty and disdain. How can I potentially prepare you for Crashface…remember Creepshow, and the story when Stephen King played the farmer, and that weird little meteorite hit his land, and he touched it and became infected? Crashface are about to crash-land into your Spotify algorithms and you’re going to love them. Fresh, ferocious and fun…a wasteland never looked so appealing.
EP Score: 8/10
Track Listing:
- “Atrocity”
- “C.H.A.I.N.S.A.W”
- “Bubblegum”
- “Maniac (Feat. Sam Matlock)”
- “Surrender Lessons”
Release Date: September 13th
Record Label: Self-Released
