Album review: CROBOT – Motherbrain

Mascot [Release date 23.08.19]

Not to be confused with legendary metallers Crowbar, Crobot release their fourth studio album since their 2012 debut. Their 2016 offering ‘Welcome To Fat City’ was particularly well received.

If pile-driving heavy riffage is your bag, you’ll find it here in spades. From the opener ‘Burn’ the album is one, relentless, pulsating, mass of groove-laden heaviness. It’s like Godzilla strapped on a guitar and went on the rampage.

The four-piece from Pennsylvania describe the album as all about ‘meat, strings, and emotion’. Passion there certainly is, a gut-churning, bastard child of Black Sabbath, Soundgarden and Alter Bridge.

There’s no let up in this heavy rock masterclass with the equally engaging ‘Keep Me Down’ sparring with the excellent ‘Low Life’ which sums up the gut-churning grind that characterises the whole album. And that’s also reflected on the humongous ‘Alfa Dog’ and ‘Stoning The Devil’.

And just when you think the band are going to slow things down with ‘Gasoline’ it soon cranks up again with the memorable chorus “I was baptized in gasoline”. Wonderful.

There’s no filler here, plenty of melodic hooks, and when the band do occasionally slow things down (in between the pummelling) it’s equally as convincing.

The band will be on tour in the UK in July, catch them if you can. *****

Review by David Randall

UK Tour Dates:
20 July – Norwich, Waterfront Studio
21 July – Kent, Ramblin Man Fair
23 July – Manchester, Rebellion
24 July – Blackpool, Waterloo Bar
25 July – Birmingham, Institute 2
26 July – London, Underworld
27 July – Ebbw Vale, Steelhouse Festival
28 July – Milton Keynes. Craufurd Arms

European tour dates
30 July    Utrecht, NL     De Helling    w/ LIFE OF AGONY
31 July    Bremen, DE   Schlachthof    w/ LIFE OF AGONY
01 Aug   Wacken, DE Wacken Festival
02 Aug   Dusseldorf, DE Tube w/ FIREWIND
04 Aug   Eindhoven, NL The Jack
06 Aug Pratteln, CH      Z7 w/ MONSTER MAGNET
08 Aug Bielefield, DE Lokschuppen w/ MONSTER MAGNET
09 Aug Kortrijk, BE Alcatraz Festival
10 Aug Leeuwarden, NL Into The Grave

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)