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Crocus

Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust

Written by: PP on 24/05/2012 02:33:48

Crocus are a British band whose eyes are firmly veered towards the late 90s screamo movement - also known as 'skramz' colloquially - which is making a strong comeback as of late thanks to the releases by Touché Amoré and La Dispute in particular. Their new album "Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust" contains many similarities in terms of the guitar tone and relentless intensity to the former band, but otherwise Crocus concentrates more on the intensely emotional and uncompromising ferocity of bands like Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, and indeed the criminally underappreciated and unknown Maths who never got around to releasing that seminal record most people expected them to.

All the vocals are harshly screamed while melodic contrast is provided by attempts at brief atmospherics on guitars, but for the majority of the disc, Crocus fire full-blast on chaotic screamo that would make the genre's forefathers proud. There's a sense of desperation and anguish that can only be attributed with honest passion for the music, which feels like this record is about as far disconnected from the trends of modern music as is possible. Look away from the Rise Records / Victory roster, this is the exact opposite of the contrived music found on those labels. You can almost touch the singer's heart every time he spits out his gruelling vocals that take yet another stab at re-creating human misery and hopeless desperation at its worst in sonic form. Just take a listen at the force at which "Left To Bruise" devastates its listener, only to calm things down to an almost mathcore-ish stance with playful guitars turning into hardcore punk and relentless pounding shortly after. You can't deny the emotion and passion there.

It's all a curious listening affair though and one that's not often heard in 2012 anymore, so I'm not 100% sure on what to think of it. There are moments during which Crocus are truly brilliant, but they never quite reach the same level of amazing as Touché Amoré or the other snowballing names in the genre. For a look back towards the origins of screamo, however, this is a very accurate re-creation of a long-dead sound.

Download: This Is Pain, All Of You, You Don't Belong, Left To Bruise
For the fans of: Maths, Sed Non Satiata, The Saddest Landscape, Kaospilot, Touché Amoré, Weak Teeth
Listen: YouTube

Release date 13.02.2012
Holy Roar Records