Crunk’s debut was an absolute shitkicker, coming off somewhere between Systematic Death and Punch. This one blazes in its own way, but it also feels slightly less well formed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still absolutely furious: the vocals are unhinged, the choppy riffing is smart but to the point and the band’s sense of forward momentum has a sense of inevitability about it. And yet… the energy levels have dipped, if just a bit. Plus there’s a slight squishiness to the sound, and the drums seem to have been dialled a dab too far towards the ‘biscuit tin’ setting. None of this is terminal – heck, I have still listened to these four tracks a heap – but there is also the sense that maybe this should have been their debut, and the prior release the ramping up of hostilities.
