One More for the Gallows

In a metal landscape increasingly dominated by technical heroics, it’s inevitable that a group will rise to deliver a dose of blunt, crusty reality to the masses. On One More for the Gallows, Summon the Crows show that they’re more than up to the task, letting loose ten tracks of unfettered crustcore fury on an unsuspecting public. With a nod to bands like Discharge and Amebix, the album follows in the D-beat tradition by not just trying to be heard by listeners, but attempting to bowl them over before they can react to the oncoming tide. This kind of direct, blunt-force approach makes the album the perfect sort of cathartic listen, eschewing chin-stroking virtuosity for raw sludgy fury. This approach makes songs like “The Trojan Whores” and “Enter the Shadow of a Tyrant” seem almost refreshing, focusing on the hostile intensity that their sound is rooted in. With the album clocking in at just over 25 minutes, it’s hard to deny that intensity is definitely the watchword here, with Summon the Crows heading straight for the listening public’s collective jugulars as they bash and pummel their way through this amazing piece of throwback hardcore.