Brassneck / Crackle (2019)
It's pretty darn exciting that there's a new Crocodile God album. Even more exciting is the fact that it's the early Crocodile lineup from their run of classic 7" singles on Crackle Records from the 90s. Another neat thing is to see that Crackle Records logo again, proudly next to the logo of the mighty Brassneck records. Everything about this album is a reminder of probably my favorite time in music from my favorite scene in the world.
I've been listening to Crocodile God for close to twenty five years at this point. They, along with Broccoli, Chopper, Hooton 3 Car, Reverse and Skimmer, were part of a crew of mid 90s bands from the UK that managed to release some of my favorite records of all time. To this day, I'll hold up the Crocodile God song "Ladders" next to anything released that decade. It's a perfect song.
Thirteen sees the band in top form once again, cranking out song ofter song of their trademark buzzsaw guitar pop gems. The vocals of Mark "Guitar" Murphy are probably less gravely than Broccoli on the gravely vocals scale, but still have that sort of gruff, but melodic tone that is part of so many of my favorite bands. I am also steadfast in my quest to make people call him Mark "Guitar" Murphy. That should be mandatory when talking about the band.
There's a good mix of songs from Croc on this record. Some blast by at a million miles an hour with super fast drumming, while others have a more subdued pace. It's in these slightly slower songs where I think the songwriting of Crocodile God really shines. "Drunk" in particular is my favorite song on the entire record. Even songs with drumming a little more gallop-y than I typically prefer always seem to have a killer breakdown in the chorus. It's a such a fun listen and reminds me so much of being on vacation in England in 1997 digging around record stores hopping to find that next gem.
Crocodile God - Thirteen:
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/thirteen
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