Crowbar, sludge metal out of New Orleans and around since 1991, has 8 full length albums under their belt. Sever the Wicked Hand, is the name of their newest and 9^th album, which after a 6 year hiatus (last one came out on 2/8/2005) will be released on February 8^th thru E1 Music.

As with any other band these days, Crowbar had their fair share of line up changes over the years with founder Kirk Windstein (guitar, vocals) being the only original member left today. But for the new album he surrounded himself with talented musicians like Tommy Buckley (drums), Patrick Bruders (bass) and Matthew Brunson (guitar).

I didn’t really know what to expect from Sever the Wicked Hand but was positively surprised by the outcome. Honestly I feared that the new Crowbar album would sound more like Down or Kingdom of Sorrow (Kirk’s other bands) since he did more with those bands over the years.

But have no fear, it doesn’t sound anything like aforementioned.

Self produced by Kirk this time around; now sober and tackling life with a newfound appreciation, he really put his heart and soul into each and every song, music and lyric wise.

All the songs are groovy, with the unmistaken sound of Mr. Windstein’s guitar. Dirty, sludge Southern Rock inspired slow jam riffs that will make Zakk Wylde blush are the stables here.

Vocally speaking I think this is one of the better Crowbar albums, hands down. Kirk’s voice is just phenomenal throughout.

The album starts off pretty strong with the fast, crushing and heavy pieces “Isolation” and the title track “Sever the Wicked Hand”, and one will wonder if the whole album is that fast paced.

Nope, it’s not. Fans of their 1998 release Odd Fellows Rest will be glad to notice that a lot of songs also reflect the emotional, melodic side of Crowbar.

And speaking of emotional, the personal feelings of Kirk are very evident in songs like “Cleanse Me, Heal Me”.

The overall mix of the album is really good, faster songs mixed around the slow paced ones and an instrumental piece named “A Farewell to Misery”

I really like the multi layered vocals in “Let Me Mourn”, gives a nice vibe to the whole thing.

“As I Become One” truly brings out that well known and beloved Southern Rock groove; epic while still maintaining that head banging quality that Crowbar is known for.

I could go on and on about each and every song, but to sum it up real quick, I like the new album. The guitar riffs and solos are not record breaking but they will stick to you and you will remember once you hear a song the second time.

Bass and drums are great as well, but let’s be honest, they have never been in the foreground on any Crowbar record.

For me the best song on the album is “The Cemetery Angels” because it incorporates everything I like about the band. It’s catchy; you bang your head and have a good time with your friends while enjoying some beers.