Listen. Can you smell it? Can you taste it; the raw sound of true metal in its most primal and feral form; the sound of a band holding nothing back, eschewing all semblance of subtlety and sensitivity in the pursuit of cultural dysfunction. This is metal as it was 15 years ago when a trio from Los Angeles called Crom knocked the world off its axis, confusing and confounding the unwary with a style that took the essence of Hirax, Catbutt, Leeway, Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Hall & Oates, Testament, Gary Wright, Crossed Out, Buckner and Garcia, Ashford and Simpson, Tad, Eyehategod, Spazz, Exodus, Biocide, England Dan and John Ford Coley, Dark Angel, Basil Poledouris, Burzum, Jump in the Saddle, Mayhem, Steely Dan, Sleep, At the Gates, Abraxas, Joe Dolce, Helix, No Comment, Christopher Cross, Slayer, Michael Mcdonald, The Melvins, Stop, Wasp, Emperor, Warzone, Mercyful Fate, Coroner and Atrophy, shook it all up then distorted the result until buttholes bled and people ran screaming for cover.
Crom started at the end of 1992 but the band never truly got itself into gear. When the trio of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon were locked together in an unholy alliance they were Venom. After years of splits, comps, arrests and a few children, planets aligned and Crom unleashed The Cocaine Wars (2001 Theologian). This was a cannon shot at point blank range through the mainsail of that sinking rock ‘n roll pirate ship known as underwear.
In August 2005, 3 became 5 and Crom went back into the studio at the request of Sir Elton John. Two years later they came forth from Snow Cave Studios with Hot Sumerian Nights, an amazing and arrogant record. The band behaves and protects the self importance on each song here to convince nobody that they have what it takes to be a major force. Locked together in a 69 of pent up fury and musical violence, Crom throws down the gauntlet, challenging, daring, taunting the listener to draw back their bows and scream “shoot arrows, eat pussy!” I do every morning before bed and I’ve never looked back. Have a great summer,
