Crowbar (American band)

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Crowbar is an American sludge metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1990. The band is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, Crowbar's sole constant member.

Infusing a slow, brooding doom metal sound with the aggression of hardcore punk, Crowbar along with other bands in the New Orleans heavy metal scene pioneered a style known as sludge metal, though Windstein himself has admitted a dislike for the term.<ref name="10facts">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The band has also covered songs from outside of their immediate genre; these include Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" on Equilibrium, Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" on Odd Fellows Rest, and Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" on Crowbar.

History

Origins (1988–1991)

The band dates back to 1988, when Kirk Windstein joined the New Orleans hardcore punk band ShellShock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He met Jimmy Bower, who was their drummer, and they quickly became friends. The band collapsed when Mike Hatch, their guitarist, committed suicide in late 1988. The band hence replaced Hatch with Kevin Noonan and continued under the new name, Aftershock. Under that name they released a demo in mid-1989 and then renamed themselves again as Wrequiem, with their bassist Mike Savoie leaving the band and Todd Strange replacing him. They renamed themselves yet again in 1990 as The Slugs, and released a demo in mid-1990, but the band collapsed.

Windstein considered becoming the bass player for New Orleans–based groove metal band Exhorder but he and Strange reformed their band, with Craig Nunenmacher as the drummer. Nunenmacher was later replaced by Tommy Buckley from Soilent Green, and Kevin Noonan returned on guitar. The band renamed themselves Crowbar in mid-1991, after their label warned them that another band called "The Slugs" already existed; the name Crowbar was borrowed from one of Windstein's side-projects.<ref name="10facts"/> Windstein has listed Celtic Frost as one of the band's early influences in terms of sound.<ref>Schwarz, Paul (May 25, 2000). "CoC chats with Kirk Windstein of Crowbar". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved October 24, 2018.</ref>

Career (1991–present)

File:Crowbar 2015-9.jpg
Crowbar performing in 2015

Crowbar's debut studio album, Obedience thru Suffering, was released in 1991,<ref name="LarkinHR">Template:Cite book</ref> but failed to achieve significant sales or airplay. 1993's self-titled album, produced by personal friend Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down, and Superjoint Ritual), eventually led to national promotion on MTV's Headbangers Ball. In addition, the videos for "All I Had (I Gave)" and "Existence Is Punishment" were commented on by Beavis and Butt-Head. Following this success, the band went on to record music videos, embark on major tours with Pantera, and record more albums.

Their stage antics, immortalized in Pantera's third home video and Crowbar's Like Broken Glass home video, became infamous. The band continued recording and touring. In 1994, the Pantera video for the song "I'm Broken" showed Anselmo wearing a Crowbar/Eyehategod T-shirt. Original drummer Nunenmacher left the band in 1996 and was replaced by Jimmy Bower from Down and Eyehategod, and for their 1996 release, Anselmo sang backup on a few tracks on Broken Glass.

In 2000, after recording and releasing Equilibrium with Sid Montz on drums, Nunenmacher rejoined the band for the "Penchant for Violence Tour" with "The Brotherhood of Brewtality" Black Label Society and Sixty Watt Shaman. Halfway through the tour, Nunenmacher replaced BLS's drummer Phil Ondich and pulled double duty for the rest of the tour, eventually joining BLS permanently.

The band continues to perform, borrowing members from New Orleans metal bands like Goatwhore and Acid Bath. In their 2005 release, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, Pantera bassist Rex Brown lent his bass skills and keyboard playing. Down's producer Warren Riker assisted in production. Also in 2005, Beavis and Butt-Head's commentary on "Existence Is Punishment" appeared on the Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection No. 3 DVD.

The band is also known for covering other bands' material and putting a heavy spin on it. Crowbar covered Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" on their Equilibrium album, Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" on Odd Fellows Rest, and Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" on Crowbar.

On April 21, 2008, the albums Crowbar, Time Heals Nothing, and the Live+1 EP were reissued in Europe with bonus and multimedia tracks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 24, 2009, it was announced that Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records would be re-releasing Crowbar's back catalog.

In December 2009, Crowbar toured with Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, The Casualties, and Thy Will Be Done as part of the Stillborn Fest.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As of September 2010, Crowbar is under contract with E1 Music<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in North America and Century Media in Europe, and released their ninth studio album, Sever the Wicked Hand, on February 8, 2011. This date is the sixth anniversary of the release of their previous album, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band embarked on a six-date UK tour in January 2011.

Bassist Pat Bruders left Crowbar in September 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bruders explained he wanted to focus on touring with Down. He told Louder than Hell, "It is better for all parties in Crowbar and in Down that I leave Crowbar. With Down's brutal tour schedule and overseas shows. It is better if I focus 100 percent of my time to Down. There are no hard feelings with my bandmates of Crowbar." Bruders was replaced by Jeff Golden, who formerly played with Six Feet Under, Thy Will Be Done, and Goatwhore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Crowbar entered the studio in late 2013 to begin recording Symmetry in Black, which was released in North America on May 27, 2014, via E1 Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2016, bassist Jeff Golden announced on his Facebook page that he had been fired from the band. Shortly after Golden's departure, Windstein announced that founding bassist Todd Strange would return to the band. In July 2018, Strange had retired from touring although he will remain a member of the band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His final performance was at the Odd Fellows Rest 20th anniversary show on August 4, 2018. Shane Wesley is his live replacement and had already played on Crowbar's summer European tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In mid 2017, Crowbar supported Overkill on the annual Metal Alliance tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the spring of 2018, Crowbar opened up for Hatebreed on their 20 Years of Desire and 15 Years of Perseverance tours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Crowbar opened up for Killswitch Engage on a short fall tour in November 2018.

Crowbar's twelfth studio album (and their first in six years) Zero and Below was released on March 4, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band toured North America and Europe with Sepultura and Sacred Reich in support of the album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Musical style and influences

Crowbar's music has been described as sludge metal. According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, Crowbar "combines the doomy heft of Black Sabbath, the intense riffage of Pantera, and the intricate progressions of Metallica".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vincent Jeffries of AllMusic conferred the title of "New Orleans' all-time sludgiest exports" on the band. He described their early material as "completely uncompromising and catchy," while echoing Huey's comparisons to Metallica, Black Sabbath and Pantera.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> According to author J. J. Anselmi, Crowbar's sound has evolved from "unadultered aggression to [embracing] haunting quietude". Crowbar's early material is said to have "[slowed] down caveman hardcore to a knuckled crawl", while their later output has been said to have "illustrated a penchant for dynamic eeriness, intermixing brutish heaviness with foreboding ether".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

They have cited influences including Melvins, Black Sabbath, Carnivore, Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, and Trouble.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Members

Current members

  • Kirk Windstein – vocals, guitar (1990–present)
  • Tommy Buckley – drums (2005–present)
  • Matt Brunson – guitar (2009–present)
  • Shane Wesley – bass (2018–present)

Former members

  • Todd Strange – bass (1990–2000, 2016–2018)
  • Kevin Noonan – guitar (1990, 1991–1993)
  • Jimmy Bower – drums (1990, 1996–1998)
  • Wayne "Doobie" Fabra – drums (1991)
  • Craig Nunenmacher – drums (1991–1995, 2000, 2004–2005)
  • Mitchel Leonard – guitar (1991)
  • Matt Thomas – guitar (1993–1997)
  • Jay Abbene – guitar (1996)
  • Sammy Duet – guitar, backing vocals (1998–2002)
  • Sid Montz – drums (2000), additional studio percussion (1998–1999)
  • Jeremy Young – bass (2000; died 2014)
  • Jeff "Okie" Okoneski – bass (2000–2004)
  • Tony Costanza – drums (2001–2004) (died 2020)
  • Steve Gibb – guitar, backing vocals (2004–2009)
  • Rex Brown – bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards (2004–2005)
  • Pat Bruders – bass (2005–2013: touring 2025)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Jeff Golden – bass (2013–2016)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:120 top:5 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1990 till:06/20/2025 #it is best not to use auto-updating timelines as it can cause problems when the graphic updates on a daily basis TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1990 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1990

Colors = 

 id:Vocals   value:red          legend:Lead_vocals
 id:BVocals  value:pink         legend:Backing_vocals
 id:Guitar   value:green        legend:Guitar
 id:Keys     value:purple       legend:Keyboards
 id:Bass     value:blue         legend:Bass
 id:Drums    value:orange       legend:Drums
 id:Lines    value:black        legend:Studio_album
 id:bars     value:gray(0.95)

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 at:09/26/1991 color:black layer:back
 at:10/12/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:05/23/1995 color:black layer:back
 at:10/29/1996 color:black layer:back
 at:07/08/1998 color:black layer:back
 at:03/07/2000 color:black layer:back
 at:08/08/2001 color:black layer:back
 at:02/08/2005 color:black layer:back
 at:02/08/2011 color:black layer:back
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 at:10/28/2016 color:black layer:back
 at:03/04/2022 color:black layer:back

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 bar:Noonan      text:"Kevin Noonan"
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 bar:Brunson     text:"Matt Brunson"
 bar:Strange     text:"Todd Strange"
 bar:Young       text:"Jeremy Young"
 bar:Okoneski    text:"Jeff Okoneski"
 bar:Brown       text:"Rex Brown"
 bar:Bruders     text:"Pat Bruders"
 bar:Golden      text:"Jeff Golden"
 bar:Wesley      text:"Shane Wesley"
 bar:Bower       text:"Jimmy Bower"
 bar:Nunenmacher text:"Craig Nunenmacher"
 bar:Montz       text:"Sid Montz"
 bar:Costanza    text:"Tony Costanza"
 bar:Buckley     text:"Tommy Buckley"

PlotData= 

 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Windstein   from:01/01/1990 till:end        color:Vocals
 bar:Windstein   from:01/01/1990 till:end        color:Guitar width:3
 bar:Noonan      from:01/01/1990 till:01/12/1993 color:Guitar
 bar:Thomas      from:01/12/1993 till:01/01/1997 color:Guitar
 bar:Duet        from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2002 color:Guitar
 bar:Duet        from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2002 color:BVocals width:3
 bar:Gibb        from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2009 color:Guitar
 bar:Gibb        from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2009 color:BVocals width:3
 bar:Brunson     from:01/01/2009 till:end        color:Guitar
 bar:Strange     from:01/01/1990 till:05/01/2000 color:Bass
 bar:Young       from:05/01/2000 till:10/01/2000 color:Bass
 bar:Okoneski    from:10/01/2000 till:06/01/2004 color:Bass
 bar:Brown       from:06/01/2004 till:06/01/2005 color:Bass
 bar:Brown       from:06/01/2004 till:06/01/2005 color:Guitar width:7
 bar:Brown       from:06/01/2004 till:06/01/2005 color:Keys width:3
 bar:Bruders     from:06/01/2005 till:01/01/2013 color:Bass
 bar:Golden      from:01/01/2013 till:05/01/2016 color:Bass
 bar:Strange     from:05/01/2016 till:07/01/2018 color:Bass
 bar:Wesley      from:07/01/2018 till:end        color:Bass
 bar:Bower       from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1991 color:Drums
 bar:Nunenmacher from:01/01/1991 till:12/01/1995 color:Drums
 bar:Bower       from:12/01/1995 till:10/01/1998 color:Drums
 bar:Nunenmacher from:06/01/2004 till:06/01/2005 color:Drums
 bar:Montz       from:10/01/1998 till:08/01/2000 color:Drums
 bar:Costanza    from:08/01/2000 till:06/01/2004 color:Drums
 bar:Buckley     from:06/01/2005 till:end        color:Drums

</timeline>

Discography

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Studio albums

Live albums

  • Live +1 EP (March 29, 1994, Pavement Music)

Demos

  • Aftershock (1989, self-released)
  • The Slugs (1990, self-released)

DVDs

  • Like Broken (full-length home video, VHS) (1997)
  • Live: With Full Force (DVD) (2007)

Template:Col-2

Music videos

  • "Subversion" (1991)
  • "All I Had (I Gave)" (1993)
  • "Existence Is Punishment" (1993)
  • "The Only Factor" (1995)
  • "Like Broken Glass" (1996)
  • "I Feel the Burning Sun" (2000)
  • "Dead Sun" (2005) (filmed in Miami, Florida, around August 2004 and directed by John-Martin Vogel and Robert Lisman)
  • "Lasting Dose" (live) (2005)
  • "Planets Collide" (live) (2005)
  • "Scattered Pieces Lay" (live) (2005)
  • "Slave No More" (2005) (filmed in Miami, Florida, on June 21, 2005, and directed by John-Martin Vogel and Robert Lisman)
  • "The Cemetery Angels" (2010)
  • "Walk with Knowledge Wisely" (2014)
  • "Symmetry in White" (2014)
  • "Falling While Rising" (2016)
  • "Chemical Godz" (2021)
  • "Bleeding From Every Hole" (2022)

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See also

References

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