Crashdiet’s past is filled with tragedies, and this was all unknown to me before I ever listened to an album of theirs, but since discovering the suicide of their first singer which then followed a heavy rotation of singers and then accidental death of the long-time manager it is hard for a band to keep on making music, but the rove their worth. Nevertheless, ‘Art of Chaos’ sees the band welcoming in singer John Elliot while bringing back its swaggering riffs, melodic guitar work, huge choruses to match. A confident recording that manages to sound both modern and rooted in its Scandinavian hard rock, with a thin layer of blues meeting raw punk energy. For this review I did take some time to listen to earlier works and clearly, they split from youthful recklessness to the excessiveness that exploits the youth to discover mature topics.
“Satisfaction” opens with engagingly fun swagger, finding its playful title in the lyrics to the endless pursuit of gratification. “Sick Enough for Me” deals with destructive attraction behind upbeat hard-rock instrumentation, with Martin Sweet adding a melodic solo that boosts the hook. “Chaos Magnetic” turns risk and temptation into a catchy anthem, with crunchy guitars and layered backing vocals providing obvious potential for a live audience to join in.
“Can of Worms” follows with one of the record’s heavier riffs and a biting chorus of reopening old wounds; truly meaningful lyrics and one of my favorite songs on the album. The Sweet brothers really strike a cool balance that support each other on the track; too. The fifth song is “Loveblind” which slows the pace to provide a more vulnerable look at emotional attachment and self-deception, with Elliot giving one of his more expressive performances.
Then “Get Out” restores the aggression, using frustration and emotional liberation to drive the momentum of straight metal from likes of Skid Row’s “Monkey Business.” “Quitter” is the seventh song offers up persistence in the face of setbacks, boosted by the use of band vocals which make the chorus particularly effective; all band not giving up when life gets hard. Next is, “Killing It Now” is the most celebratory on the record, driven by confidence and one of Sweet’s livelier solos with a great line ‘living by your own set of rules.’ Throughout the album I found each song under 5-minute mark, delivering the goods and never overstaying their existence. Then “Silent Place” examines isolation and exhaustion, contrasting quieter verses with a larger chorus. Bringing the album full circle with “Edge of a Knife,” Crashdïet return to darker territory, balancing between triumph and disaster before building to another strong Sweet guitar performance.
Track List:
- Satizfaction
- Sick Enough for Me
- Chaos Magnetic
- Can of Worms
- Loveblind
- Get Out
- Quitter
- Killing It Now
- Silent Place
- Edge of a Knife
The Band:
John Elliot — lead vocals
Martin Sweet — guitar
Chris Young — bass
Michael Sweet — drums
Elliot proves as a successful addition, as he doesn’t try to mirror the previous singers in the band. His rather gritty but melodic approach gives the material a fresh identity while matching well with the established Crashdïet sound. Martin Sweet remains the creative heart, balancing Motley Crue meets Guns-n-Roses with a dash of Skid Row into the mix of the hard rock-metal attitude with favoring memorable leads over flashy technique. The new rhythm section of Chris Young and Michael Sweet provides the bass punchy and the drums forceful without overpowering the guitars. It is polished enough for the modern listener but without losing the edge.
Art of Chaos works because Crashdïet know that survival through the upheavals is part of their band’s history and life itself, never fleeing it rather embracing it. While still manages to capture the hooks, attitude and excesses of sleaze rock, their strongest songs realize that desire, confidence and rebellion often lead to consequences. The album does not feel like a nostalgia piece, but a band showing that its songwriting sensibilities hold up over many years of upheaval. Crashdïet, the band, provides an energetic and emotionally mature chapter in the band’s history.
Band Links:
https://www.instagram.com/realcrashdiet/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/realcrashdiet/
Label Links:
https://www.ninetone.com/en/records/artists/crashdet
https://www.facebook.com/ninetone/
https://www.instagram.com/ninetonegroup/?hl=en
Vincent’s rating: 4.0/5.0