Another successful alumnus of the old Takehold records order, Narcissus is from Ohio and have released "Crave and Collapse" on Abacus recordings (part of Century Media).
If you've followed the Narcissus career, you know they have continued to progress musically. Following their last metal-core styled release, Newwave Techno Homicide (a very well written album featuring what was dubbed by one reviewer as the best vocals in hardcore), Narcissus took off in a new direction with "Becoming Leviathan." Their new sound has been compared to Tool or recent Cave In, but it's always Narcissus and always impressive.
With "Crave and Collapse," Narcissus has blended both of their personalities to create a super hybrid of intensity and passion. The depth of "Becoming Leviathan" has been matched with the brutish intensity of "Newwave Techno Homicide" and the result is a sound unique and attention grabbing. Fans of both Narcissus styles can't help but be appeased by the duality of this album.
With a variety of ingredients in their recipe, the foundation here is superior song writing. The whole release is captivating with constant movement and a large audio landscape. One example of this is the guitar parts and leads which are a force to be reckoned with in their sheer creativity and the skill in which they are produced.
This album will appeal to all sorts of listeners. Many bands make this claim, but Narcissus has covered much of the vast musical ground out there (for instance the classic rock/Hendrix reminiscing sounds of "To James"). Mature lyrics, a crystal clear recording and exceptional artwork are the finishing touches to one of the top releases of the year.
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