STARKWEATHER

Croatoan is the third album by the band Starkweather, one of the pioneering bands in Metalcore, after the hiatus since 1997 with Into The Wire, my first contact with this band was with the EP ''Nightmare Memory'' from 2013 and I absolutely loved it. insanely heavy and diverse sound, and after listening to the whole album, I say without a shadow of a doubt that Croatoan is one of the best things to come out of the genre, one thing I like about Starkweather and that remains here is how insanely heavy the songs are but in no way do they end up becoming cheesy, which ends up happening a lot in bands that want to be as extreme as possible, the mix is strident and with a lot of identity, the riffs are memorable by Todd Forkin and Harry Rosa drums are simply mind-blowing, and the songs are not only heavy and catchy, but also present diversity and very progressive aspects, Silken Garotte has a very tribal session, Taming Leeches With Fire and the constant change of riffs along with Liam Wilson groovy versatile bass, and so on. The way these elements fit together with how powerful the composition is is very unique.

and what can we say about this album without mentioning Rennie Resmini vocals? I love them, not because they are beautiful, in fact, it's just the opposite, it's raw, strange and Rennie sings with a lot of pain and despair even in the softest sessions, Rennie is the one who gives Starkweather the most identity and it's difficult to think of a work by band without him, are vocals above all, organic and unique and that fit perfectly into the painful atmosphere that the band wants to convey, however, Croatoan doesn't completely work, at times it falls into the trap of falling into cheesiness due to wanting to have a heavy sound, Taming Leeches With Fire is fantastic, but the part where Rennie repeats the name of the song doesn't sound very good compared to half.

Silken Garotte sometimes sounds pretentious, and in general, it's a material that has its moments that don't do justice to the highest points, but in no way do they end up detracting from the experience and they still sound cool, but as a whole, Croatoan is incredible, a A must have for those who like extreme metal, extreme prog metal, metalcore, and experimental music, Starkweather's cruel universe is not for everyone, but for those willing to give it a chance, you may come across one of the densest and heaviest albums that has already emerged in the Metalcore scene

9/10

(Note: I recommend that moderators change incorrect information that is -The bassist on this album is Liam Wilson, not Vince Rosa -The order of the songs is wrong)

there is a type of band that releases material and then rarely appears, that hides in the shadows with an unpredictable nature and then releases other material and disappears again, Starkweather is that type of band.

Nightmare Memory is my first contact with this band and this little 21 minute EP is very solid, they are a Metalcore band, but not the kind of Metalcore you expect, and the first song on the EP ''Armed Memory'' already hits with full force, atonal and heavy metalcore riffs with a distorted virtuosity and along with that, from Harry Rosa versatile drum and Todd Forkin crazy guitar to Rennie Resmini vocals, I particularly like them, they are quite original and he sings with agonizing and frightening way that contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere of this EP.

''Armed Memory'' is a very solid track that surprised me because of how overwhelming and strident it is, everything is executed very well, and then comes my favorite track and the last one ''Nightmare Factory'' is a spectacle and further elevates its predecessor, an abstract cinematic flow of insanely raucous metalcore riffs, a tortured and distorted atmosphere, with a very interesting and frightening progression, it genuinely feels like a nightmare, and it ends in a way that wow...if It equates to El Mundo Frio from Corrupted for me in terms of atmosphere.

Starkweather is characterized by extreme metalcore riffs and cinematic structure with avant-garde and prog touches and abstract lyrics, and on Nightmare Memory they do this masterfully, it's not an EP that I could call a masterpiece, but the way they play is so unique and interesting and executed so well that I highly recommend it, however, I only recommend this EP to those who can or like listening to heavy music, what's here may not please many and Starkweather is certainly inaccessible, but overall, an excellent EP.

8.8/10