Crawl Below "9 Mile Square"

The history of early America is extremely fascinating and the legends that come out of the New England region always seem to drive a powerful artist interest. Crawl Below’s new album, “9 Mile Square,” revisits the early days of Norwich, Connecticut and descends into this historic themed world by writing some mesmerizing post-metal riffs that construct these utterly majestic sounding atmospheric landscapes. 

Crawl Below is a one-man project conjured up by the artist known as Charlie Sad Eyes, who also is involved in countless other projects around the Connecticut area. The band's sound is driven by these astonishing doom like atmospheres that wash over you like a calming mist from the ocean. You hear the solemn melancholy influences of artists like Type O Negative and Katatonia, as well as the captivating musical landscapes that one hears in atmospheric black metal. Each track is a beautiful offering of harmonious sounding darkness that blankets the musical landscape like morning fog after an evening of heavy rain.

The opening track, “Feed the Towers Above the Trees,” pulls the listener right into an eye opening world of monumental sounding guitar arrangements and haunting melodic vocals. There is a strong synergy throughout the song which can also be said about the rest of the album. The second track, “Fire on the Hill,” starts off with a potent surge of raw emotion that soon mellows out for yet another tranquil exploration into a spellbinding musical void. Each instrument strengthens the gloomy world by harmoniously following along in unison to the song's spectral sounding atmosphere. 

When listening to the tracks on this album, I really believe that the attention to detail and emphasis placed on each verse and chorus section is what keeps you completely fascinated. Take for example track number three, “Kingdom of the Ruined,” which I would consider to be very reminiscent to that of Type O Negative. Just like how Peter Steele used to compliment the instrumental arrangements by providing a bone chilling vocal delivery, Charlie Sad Eyes invokes a similar sounding level of haunting energy when needed during the song. Also, the riffs move like a giant across the landscape gazing upon a bleak horizon with the echoes of cascading drum arrangements in the background. 

The rest of the album is very similar in terms of style and how Charlie Sad Eyes utilizes different musical elements to achieve his artistic vision. “Monument,” begins with a catchy distorted intro riff that travels down a pathway into a powerful sounding verse section. The last two songs on the album, “Tarnished the Name” and “9 Mile Square,” are two well written pieces of music that continue to  highlight the album's compelling theme by offering more grandiose compositions, while never succumbing to that painfully repetitive and unimaginative trap which can lose a listener after a while. 

I honestly did not think I would enjoy this album as much as I did, however, when looking back at this entire release I felt as though the music was written and recorded in such a genuine manner. There is no bullshit from start to finish and I do believe that Crawl Below’s “9 Mile Square,” is an anomaly in the modern metal world right now. The overall listening experience was highly enjoyable and there is little room for critique in my opinion. I definitely recommend this album for fans looking to break away from the repetitive metal trends that typically end up fading away after a short period of time. If you are looking for an atypical release that allows you to float away into a realm of dark tranquility, then you really need to check this album out.  

Check out the song "Kingdom of the Ruined" below:

Crawl Below Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/crawlbelow/

Crawl Below Bandcamp:

https://crawlbelow.bandcamp.com/