Crowbar (U.S. band)
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Crowbar is an American doom / sludge metal band from Louisiana, characterized by their extremely slow, low-keyed, heavy and brooding songs.
Starting in 1989 and taking its name from the Crowbar group in NOLA (New Orleans), Kirk Windstein went on to pioneer slow and heavy music with a unique vocal style. Their first album, Obedience Through Suffering was released in 1991, but failed to achieve notoriety. By 1993's self-titled (Crowbar) album, personal friend Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual) produced the record, which 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. 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. After Todd Strange left the band, the trademark 300 pound + band members slimmed down, leaving the heaviness in the music only. The band continues to perform, borrowing members from NOLA metal bands like Goatwhore and Acid Bath. In their recent 2005 release, Life's Blood for the Downtrodden, Pantera bassist Rex Brown lent his bass skills and keyboard playing. Down's producer, Warren Riker, assisted in production.
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[edit] Current members
- 1989 - Current Kirk Windstein - vocals and guitars (Down and Valume Nob)
- 2005 - Current Steve Gibb (son of Barry Gibb) - guitars and backing vocals
- 2005 - Current Patrick Bruders - bass (Goatwhore)
- 2005 - Current Tommy Buckley - drums (Soilent Green and Christ Inversion)
[edit] Former members
- 1989 - 2000 Todd "Sexy T" Strange - Bass
- 1989 - 1995, 2005 Craig Nunenmacher - Drums (Black Label Society)
- 1992 - 1993 Kevin Noonan - Guitars
- 1993 - 1997 Matt Thomas - Guitars
- 1996 - 1998 Jimmy Bower - Drums (Eyehategod, Down, Superjoint Ritual, Mystick Krewe of Clearlight, and Corrosion of Conformity)
- 1998 - 2002 Sammy Duet - Guitars (Acid Bath)
- 2000 Sid Montz - Drums (Valume Nob)
- 2001 Tony Costanza - Drums
- 2001 Jeff Okoneski - Bass
- 2005 Rex Brown - Bass (Pantera)
[edit] Trivia
- The videos for "All I Had (I Gave)" and "Existence is Punishment" appeared on Beavis and Butthead. Butthead commented that Kirk Windstein's face looked like he was sitting on the toilet. "Existence" appears on the Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection #3 DVD.
- The band was notorious for redifining the word "heavy" in a different sense: During Sexy T's and Jimmy Bower's time in the band, the mass weight of the band members was well over 800 pounds (close to half a ton).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
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September 26, 1991 | Obedience Through Suffering | Pavement Records | ||
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October 12, 1993 | Crowbar
(Produced by Phil Anselmo) |
Pavement Records | 100,000 | |
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March 29, 1994 | Live +1 (EP) | Pavement Records | ||
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May 23, 1995 | Time Heals Nothing | Pavement Records | ||
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October 29, 1996 | Broken Glass | Pavement Records | ||
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July 7, 1998 | Odd Fellows Rest | Pavement Records | ||
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March 7, 2000 | Equilibrium | Spitfire Records | ||
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August 8, 2001 | Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form | Spitfire Records | ||
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February 8, 2005 | Life's Blood for the Downtrodden
(Produced by Warren Riker) |
Candlelight Records |
[edit] Music videos
- 1993 Crowbar - "All I Had (I Gave)"
- 1993 Crowbar - "Existence Is Punishment"
- 1995 Crowbar - "Like Broken" (Full Length Home Video)
- 1995 Crowbar - "The Only Factor"
- 1996 Crowbar - "Broken Glass"
- 2005 Crowbar - "Dead Sun"
- 2005 Crowbar - "Lasting Dose"
- 2005 Crowbar - "Slave No More" (Filmed in Miami, Florida on June 21, 2005 and directed by John-Martin Vogel)
[edit] Home Videos
| Video Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
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1995 | Crowbar Like Broken (VHS) (90 minutes)
(European tour and recording sessions for "Broken Glass") |
Pavement Records | Only sold at concerts | |
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1997 | Pantera 3: Watch it Go (VHS)
Crowbar appearances and Kirk as the incredible Hulk |
Elektra Records | ||
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1999 | Pantera's 3 Vulgar Videos from Hell (DVD)
Crowbar appearances and Kirk as the incredible Hulk |
Elektra Records |
