Spotlight Artist

SPOTLIGHT ARTIST - CROWBAR

Band Name: Crowbar
Band Website: www.crowbarmusic.com
Band Members: Kirk Windstein, Steve Gibb, Tommy Buckley, Patrick Bruders

Band Biography:
Crowbar is an American doom / sludge metal band from Louisiana, characterized by their extremely slow, low-keyed, heavy and brooding songs that also contain fast hardcore punk passages. Beavis & Butt-head once described their music as being slow and fat.

As undisputed heavyweight champions of the New Orleans sludge sound, Crowbar have remained a true force in aggressive underground music for over a decade. Even with an ambitious and genre-defining musical legacy in their wake, Crowbar continues to evolve while remaining the sonic definition of ‘heavy.’ Guitarist and vocalist Kirk Windstein’s wrecking ball of charged emotion remains as crushing as ever!

Starting in 1989 and taking its name from the Crowbar group in New Orleans, Kirk Windstein went on to pioneer slow and heavy music with a unique vocal style and hardcore punk influences that resulted in fast passages uncharacteristic of traditional doom metal. Their first album, "Obedience Through Suffering" was released in 1991, and the band's sound was labeled Doom-Core by the European press shortly after the 1992 debut release. By 1993's self-titled "Crowbar" album, which was produced by personal friend Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual) eventually led to national promotion on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Phil sang back up on a few tracks and sang background on "Broken Glass" which rounded out the songs "All I Had I Gave," "I Have Failed," and "Existence is Punishment" along with a new take on the Led Zeppelin song "No Quarter". Following this success the band went on to record music videos, embark on major tours with Pantera, and record more albums. Crowbar has released 10 cd's, the 2nd selling over 100,000 copies worldwide and their stage antics, immortalized in the Pantera "Home Video 3" and Crowbar's "Like Broken" home video, became infamous. As time moved on the band lost its founding members with the exception of vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein. The band continues to perform, borrowing members from NOLA metal bands like Goatwhore and Acid Bath. In their recent 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.

Review Of This Band By Mistress Malice:
I first discovered the melodic maddness that is Crowbar at a club called Zepplins in Metairie, LA. Crowbar's sludge sounds and stage presence were mesmerizing to witness. Since My first experience seeing them live their bluesy approach to metal music has truly combined two legendary genres until they have swirled together to became one truly kickass example of the southern music scene!