Once you start listening to the new Crawl Below album, “Around The Circle, Around The Snake,” I can almost guarantee that you will become paralyzed with a mixture of hallucinogenic fear and fascination. When I first started listening to the album I felt as though I was walking around a surrealistic horror themed art exhibit, minus the douchey looking art snobs wearing fedoras and drinking shots of wheatgrass.
Charlie Sad Eyes, the mastermind behind Crawl Below, has always proven to be a dynamic musician willing to explore different styles of music on each release. From black metal to doom metal to even acoustic punk, Crawl Below’s discography is full of variety. I do believe that this allows Charlie to construct very unique sounding releases. If you liked how the last Crawl Below album sounded, then do not expect the next one to be a carbon copy, because that is just not how Charlie approaches recording music. Even though this new Crawl Below album does take a step in a different direction compared to the previous two albums, I still believe the production and attention to detail is profoundly present, which is why the album hooks you right away.
“Around The Circle, Around The Snake,” is a truly atypical sounding album featuring such a plethora of haunting arrangements. The album begins with a ghastly sounding organ composition which reminded me of something from out of a 70's occult themed horror movie. During the first song, “I Sacramentum,” I definitely felt that Charlie was going for a more cinematic approach on this album, but I did not truly comprehend the magnitude of unorthodox sounding creativity until I finished the entire album. Also, I really liked how he incorporated a very Darkthrone-esque style guitar riff to begin the second track, “II Reveltio.” The second song seemed to contain even more gloomy atmospheric noises and doomy spectral vocals as if Charlie was trying to summon some evil force from beyond to come and do his diabolical bidding.
The third track on the album, “III Desperatio,” blends together dark synth wave with doom metal elements, as well as some industrial touches to establish an unconventional sounding landscape. Even though the album is not written where you hear a bludgeoning riff followed by another bludgeoning riff, the compositions capture your imagination by bringing together mesmerizing melodies with hypnotic distorted atmospheres. Again, Crawl Below has a history of not writing the same sounding album, but I cannot stress the importance of how Charlie is a true savant when it comes to production. Hell, even if you are not a fan of the album’s direction and unorthodox approach by coming off as a disturbing cinematic film score, the overall attention to detail when pertaining to the recording quality is extremely impressive.
Conceptually, musically and creatively, “Around The Circle, Around The Snake,” checks all the boxes if you are looking for a new album that does not sound like what everyone else is doing at the moment within the metal/rock community. Crawl Below continues to be one of Charlie’s most striking musical projects which is saying something since he is involved in a variety of solid bands (Low Moments being another favorite of mine). Now, do I see a thrash metal elitist who wears a Municipal Waste shirt and smells like a brewery taking a liking to this album? Probably not, but then again the spellbinding atmospheric arrangements and sinister yet comforting doom like touches are very persuasive, just like how that Count Dracula was with all the ladies.
After living through all the hysteria and chaos of 2020, a year that shall go down in history as one of the most inconceivable years in the history of the world, people looked to 2021 as a year of redemption. In terms of hard rock and heavy metal music I felt as though 2020 was a decent year, but 2021 seemed to be the year where bands really stepped up their game. As much as people thought the return of CM Punk to professional wrestling was a historic and monumental moment, I personally found myself rejoicing to the news that artists like Old Tower and Wallachian Cobwebs were putting out new releases. Independent music labels like Sentient Ruin continued to promote hard working up and coming underground acts from around the world, which is always great to see compared to those labels still promoting aging rockers who look like they just escaped from the retirement home. 2021 may not have been exactly what we were expecting the world to look like after 2020, but I do think we can look back and appreciate some of the brilliant sounding albums that came out during the year. So here it is everyone, my top ten list for 2021....
10. Tower “Shock to the System”
This New York City based band displayed a tremendous amount of ballsy sounding hard rock and heavy metal attitude on their sophomore full-length album, “Shock to the System.” The high soaring vocals of singer Sarabeth Linden perfectly complimented the band’s feverish sounding guitar riffs. Overall, the album contains a strong and confident energy, which seems to grow from the beginning of the album until the very end. I also was extremely impressed by the band’s songwriting skills and I thought that the music sounded tight.
9. When the Deadbolt Breaks “As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy”
These Connecticut based musicians are an extremely creative act and one that took me by complete surprise after I listened to their new album. When the Deadbolt Breaks offers listeners a truly atypical sounding listening experience on, “As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy.” Their unique brand of psychedelic doom is very refreshing and they show a willingness to experiment with a variety of different sounding musical concepts. The dynamic arrangements hook you right from start by writing some haunting chord progressions along with a fair amount of trippy rhythms.
I don’t know what it is about Peru, but there has been a decent amount of brutal sounding bands to come out of that country over the years. Maze of Terror is yet another band from the region that knows how to write some gruesome sounding pieces of raw brutality. The band mixes casket crushing old school death metal with some merciless black metal to craft an unholy sound which does not disappoint. Plus, the frantic lead guitar work adds to the over bloodbath of devastation laid down by the band’s skillful drummer. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys vicious sounding music with a blasphemous attitude that is sure to scare the hell out of a pack of Jehovah Witnesses.
Talk about HEAVY! This Portuguese extreme metal band knows how to lay down some juggernaut sized riffs along with some monstrous sounding drum parts. Of course, the band worked with Sentient Ruin on the release of this album, which should come as no surprise given the label’s history of finding the most extreme and profound sounding artists around. I think what stood out the most about this album for me was the band’s ability to get to the point and no overwhelm the listener with unnecessary arrangements. Sometimes you just want a meaty sized riff to come crashing down on you like an avalanche of distorted destruction leaving a trail of carnage in its path.
Another band on the Sentient Ruin roster that knows how to unleash a tidal wave of face kicking insanity. Adrenaline pumping noise-punk with some blackened aggression is what this Canadian based band brings to the table on their debut full-length release. The songs on the album may be are short, but the band unleashes an insurmountable amount of chaos on each track. From the rebellious sounding guitar riffs to the singer’s unapologetic vocals, I swear that this band means business. Really hope they keep recording new music and building off of this album’s relentless sounding energy.
This album came out earlier this year and I still find myself playing it over and over again. Overall, the compositors are extremely mesmerizing and wrap you in this veil of haunting tranquility. The musician behind this band, Charlie Sand Eyes, is a very creative artist who also happens to be in the band When the Deadbolt Breaks. I find Crawl Below to be a fascinating act, especially since the style of music seems to be influenced by a lot of bands that I really enjoy. In the end, Charlie tells these haunting musical tales that are inspired by the history of the area in which he resides located in Connecticut. Having lived in Connecticut myself for a couple years I was really impressed how he captured the spell casting natural beauty of the historic region through the album’s sound. Overall, an album worth checking out and the follow-up release that is coming out in 2022 is another phenomenal sounding release.
4. Wallachian Cobwebs “Night Sobbed a Potion Diseased”
If you are a reader of this blog then you will remember how much I enjoyed Wallachian Cobwebs’ debut album, “Hearken to the Moon Whisper.” This one-man dungeon synth artist took vampiric lore and created a masterpiece of an album, so once I heard there was going to be a follow-up, I was simply overcome with excitement. The new album, “Night Sobbed a Potion Diseased,” takes the story of Frankenstein’s Monster and creates this haunting soundtrack which I thought was very creative. Every sound grabs your attention and creates these vivid mental pictures as if you were witnessing this tale of terror firsthand. The cinematic like environment is perfectly recorded, so anyone who desires a powerful ambient/dungeon synth release should check this album out.
One of my favorite bands, Graveland, did not disappoint this year with their new album, “Hour of Ragnarok.” The band really went all out with this new album and recorded a true masterpiece in my opinion. Rob Darken’s vocals along with the triumphant sounding instrumental arrangements throws you into this bombastic realm full of epic sounding music. You do hear the early Graveland sound at times, but the band has definitely evolved and become so much more dynamic in terms of their recording techniques and overall production quality. Conceptually this is probably one of the most impressive albums I have heard over the last couple years.
I can say without hesitation that Old Tower is one of the most accomplished and exceptional dungeon synth/ambient artists around. For fans of this style of music, Old Tower has become one of the most recognized artists around the world. The Specter who is the mysterious artist behind Old Tower, is a true genius and this new album reinforces everything that I have said about Old Tower from day one. “The Old King of Witches,” takes a turn down an even darker road, leading listeners into an ambient world shrouded by a sinister energy that I believe creates a truly insidious atmosphere. When listening to this album is the dark you become bewitched by the music’s malevolent charm. I am so glad that I ordered this album on vinyl, even if I have to wait a while due to shipping delays.
Picking an album for the number 1 slot this year was not an easy task, but in the end Abstracter’s “Abominion” is the album that stood out above all the rest. The Bay Area based band has been a favorite of mine ever since they released their debut full-length album and I was very pleased when they started working Sentient Ruin. Abstracter is such an extremely talented group of musicians and their songs combine a plethora of savage sounding creativity. Each composition hits you with tremendous apocalyptic sized force, especially the riffs on this new album. There are no filer tracks, or cheap sounding compositions, because every riff and every sound demands you attention. “Abominion,” is truly flawless in my opinion and is an album that I expect to be playing on my turntable for many years to come.
Dwelling in the gloomy woods of Eastern Connecticut, Crawl Below has become a true anomaly in the world of extreme music. Over the years this one-man act has explored a plethora of different musical styles ranging from Lovecraftian inspired acoustic punk to spectral sounding death-doom. Charlie Sad Eyes, the mastermind behind Crawl Below, has written and recorded some extremely unique sounding releases over the years, all of which I tend to find rather enjoyable.
Crawl Below's new release, “Its Ministers on Earth,” steps into a darker and heavier sounding world by constructing some monolith sized blackened death doom tracks that really pushes the music into this more abrasive sounding world. I personally really enjoyed the last Crawl Below release, “9 Mile Square,” because the overall sound on that album conveyed a more doomy and gothic style very similar to that of Type O Negative. Honesty, this new release threw me by complete surprise, because the delivery comes across with more deafening attitude at times. Even though the sound on this album is not exactly similar to the previous release, I will acknowledge that the compelling sounding atmospheres and attention to detail remains very much the same.
“Its Ministers on Earth,” begins with a brutal sounding slugfest of harsh sounding guitar riffs and foundation crushing drum parts. The opening track, “The Daemon Damned Season,” starts out with the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore, but eventually turns into an explosion of blistering aggression and ear shattering doom. The old school death growl vocal style used during the first vocal part of the song provides a sinister touch and is eventually accompanied by haunting clear sounding vocals. I thought that the contrasting vocal styles was a brilliant idea, and as the song progresses you find yourself becoming almost possessed by the music’s merciless sounding hypnotic aura.
On the second track, “Red Fell the Vapours,” Crawl Below continues to take a dive down a more venomous sounding musical void and summons forth some agonizing arrangements. I felt as though the music took on a more black metal meets death metal approach that featured a sporadic amount of feverish sounding guitar riffs. “Summoning Rite,” is a short instrumental drum arrangement that adds to the albums ritualistic occult like theme, which I personally think was a creative way to slow the music down a bit before the next onslaught of planet decimating death doom.
Track number five, “Will Rot the Base Chains,” is without a doubt my favorite song off of this album, even though I find picking a favorite to be an extremely difficult task given how well each song was written and recorded. Still, “Will Rot the Base Chains,” is a mesmerizing piece of music that really stands out by offering up a fair amount of eye opening dynamic arrangements. During the entire song I felt like I was listening with great interest and would become almost possessed by the guitar and bass parts along with the adrenaline pumping drumming. Plus, the haunting clean vocals towards the end of the song made you feel as if you were floating through a cosmic sea of comforting darkness.
Once again Crawl Below delivers a solid and utterly sinister sounding release with, “Its Ministers on Earth.” Charlie Sad Eyes is a very creative artist who is willing to experiment with each new release and step outside the box at times in order construct an album that vividly stands out. This is one of those albums where you feel every single riff and every single drum part, especially when the music takes a turn down one of those nightmarish sounding pathways shrouded in a veil of hazy doom. This album is highly worth checking out if you are a fan of blackened death doom with a surreal sounding occult like atmosphere that will make you go crazier than Anya Taylor-Joy's character in the movie, The Witch.
Crawl Below's upcoming album, "9 Mile Square," is a fascinating release that gives listeners a glimpse into the rich history and local legends surrounding Norwich, Connecticut. This one-man project from Connecticut conjures up a doomy sounding world shrouded in a veil of harmonious sounding darkness. The artist behind this project, Charlie Sad Eyes, definitely knows how to write a strong and creative release from beginning to end. Honestly, this is an album you do not want to pass up! I decided to ask him a little more about the album as well as some other topics of interest. Check out the full interview below...
Hello Charlie, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! Crawl Below’s new album, “9 Mile Square,” is out February 12 and I wanted to get your thoughts on the upcoming release. What can listeners expect to hear on this new album and how does it compared to your previous releases?
Thanks for the interview. Listeners can expect to hear a bunch of doomy melodic power ballads sung by a third-rate Peter Steele wannabe. I have to admit, back in the 80s I liked hair metal power ballads and wondered what it would be like if the whole album was like that. Then I just downtuned it and heavied it up a bit. And my friends say I sing like a sad Dracula.
Compared to previous releases... CB is a side project and a chance for me to try different sub-genres. The first Crawl Below release was D- beat black metal. The second was Lovecraftian acoustic pub songs (ironically, the best selling and well-received). 9 Mile Square is melodic doomgaze or whatever. The next one, already recorded, is death doom. After that, I don’t know. K-pop, maybe?
Before we get more into the album I just wanted to get some background info and talk about some of your musical influences. What bands did you listen to growing up that may have helped shaped you as a musician? Also, are you involved in any other musical projects besides Crawl Below?
Going back to the hair metal thing, my first favorite band was Def Leppard. As I got older, I got into punk, hardcore, and black metal and I think you can sort of hear that stuff in this album. My biggest influence is Social Distortion and I can’t seem to write anything that doesn’t owe something to Mike Ness. I’d say Alcest had an influence on this release also, particularly "Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde”, the one he doesn’t scream on. Also, my singing gets compared to Peter Steele a lot but educated listeners will notice I’m really just (badly) ripping off early Life Of Agony. River Runs Red is a classic.
As far as other projects, oh boy. I play bass in When The Deadbolt Breaks. Guitar and vocals in Sentinel Hill. Vocals in Holding On To Nothing and Low Moments. Bass in Banth. I do all the instruments in Animal Schoolbus, a grindcore band my nine-year-old daughter sings for. Our next CD is coming out in April. And everything in Good Morning Eastern Connecticut, a project in which I make fun of Connecticut metal people.
All the songs on “9 Mile Square” have something to do with Norwich, Connecticut and the vivid lyrical themes are definitely something I find that listeners will gravitate towards when listening to this album. What made you want to write a concept album about Norwich? As a lyricist what helps you find inspiration during the writing process?
New England has a ton of cool legends, my town included. Pretty inspiring in its own right, so it just made sense as subject matter. My own life is pretty boring, so I don’t have a lot of personal stuff to sing about. I hate writing lyrics but found it a lot easier basing it on local history.
Looking at all the songs on “9 Mile Square,” I wanted to know if there is one track that really stands out, or one that you feel most proud of when hearing it back? When I reviewed the album, I had a difficult time selecting a favorite, because the album really flows with such tremendous synergy.
Not really. It’s pretty samey all the way through, not very dynamic. I’ve probably gotten the most positive feedback about “Tarnished The Name” which is about the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, who grew up about two miles from my house. I also kind of like how the chorus came out on “Feed The Towers” which is about the two massive casinos nearby and their effect on the region.
Now I know you have two music videos out already for a couple tracks off of the album, “Kingdom of the Ruined” and “Monument.” What made you pick those two songs to create videos for, and can we expect more videos to come in the near future?
For those two videos, visuals were easy. Kingdom Of The Ruined is about the Norwich State Hospital, which housed thousands of mental patients until it was shut down in the early 90s. Since then it has fallen apart and been largely demolished, but the buildings were architecturally amazing. My friend Bill Bates from Black North filmed that one. Monument is about a legendary Indian battle that happened here in the mid-1600s. The legend is that one tribe was chased to the edge of the cliff you see in the video. Some surrendered and some jumped. When you see this spot, the idea of jumping is absolutely insane. The chief of the retreating tribe, Miantonomo, jumped and broke his leg. He was caught, tried by a court of settlers, and executed. The “monument” at the end is his resting place. I might do a video for Tarnished The Name because it seems popular, we’ll see.
I was interested to know a bit more abut the recording process for this album, because I read on your bandcamp that you had written the album back in 2013 and then re-recorded it in April of 2020. What were some of the challenges you faced during the recording process? How pleased are you with the album’s overall production?
Yeah, I wrote these songs in 2013, originally with death and black metal vocals. I’ve been going through all my old music and re-recording it, and decided melodic singing would work better. I recorded everything at my house (programmed drums) and sent it to Studio Wormwood, an up-and-coming studio here in eastern CT. Dave Kaminsky, who worked at Morrisound in Florida, re-amped it and gave it a much bigger feel. He’s awesome and is working with a ton of great bands.
I’m not a good enough musician to record in actual studios, I’m finding out. It’s much more cost-effective if I do it at home and send it for mixing. There is, of course, a loss in quality but it doesn’t bother me. Lo-Fi Till I Die.
The only challenges were waiting for my wife and daughter to be out of the house so they didn’t have to hear Sad Dracula singing about casinos in the side bedroom.
Before the pandemic, what was the live music scene like in your area? Did you have many venues available for you to perform live?
Oh man, the eastern CT metal scene was super active for years before Covid. We’re the quieter, poorer end of the state but metal was killing it here for a long time, due to clubs like Altones, 33 Golden, and Strange Brew, and primarily Dwayne Eldredge from the band Mourn The Light. He was booking 3-4 shows a month as well as the New England Stoner & Doom Fest. The scene is kind of small but really tight-knit. I can’t wait until things get back to “normal” and really hope all those clubs will continue to exist. Luckily, in the downtime, most of us local bands have been writing and recording.
Do you have any other new projects in the works, or is there another Crawl Below release on the horizon? Also, will there be a physical release of “9 Mile Square” in the near future? CD? Vinyl? 8-track?
The 9 Mile Square CDs are in, limited to 25. That’s the only physical I’m doing unless there’s a need for more. If I do, it will indeed be 8- track. I have a bunch of stuff coming up. Animal Schoolbus (elementary school grindcore) album 4/1/21. When The Deadbolt Breaks (psychedelic doom) LP spring 2021. Charlie Sad Eyes & The Diminishing Returns (rock) full-length, summer. Crawl Below (death doom) full-length, summer. Low Moments (heavy pop-punk, even worse than it sounds) full-length some time in 2021. Sentinel Hill (heavy rock) full-length maybe by fall. An as-yet-unnamed raw black metal EP at some point this year. And I’m starting my own label, Lawnmowerjetpack Records, to put out all my side projects (including Crawl Below).
Charlie, I just wanted to thank you once again for taking the time to answer these questions and also congratulations on the new album.
Thanks a lot for the interview and I’m glad you liked 9 Mile Square enough to listen and post about it. Great questions. For those interested, the next CB will be entirely different. Big thanks to Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Zone!
Check out the video for the song "Monument" below:
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.
