THOSE DAMN CROWS - ‘INHALE/EXHALE’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Modern rock five-piece Those Damn Crows have released their new album ‘Inhale/Exhale’ featuring ten powerful tracks. The album was created in their Welsh homeland at Giant Wafer Studios, produced by Dan Weller and mixed by Phil Gornell, a team that has captured the magic of this heavy rock band.

Frontman Shane Greenhall takes the spotlight with his high-powered and compelling vocals, supported by the rest of the band that includes drummer Ronnie Huxford, guitarists Ian ‘Shiner’ Thomas and David Winchurch and not to forget the importance of Lloyd Wood on the bass.

The album materialises with a staggering shriek on the guitar in the opening track tilted ‘Fill the Void’ with a rupture of drums and sluggish vocals to match. The track explodes right into an assortment of instruments amassed over the top of each other. Bassist Lloyd Wood skill protrudes in this track, the bass can be heard over the other instruments. In the track, there’s a lot of echoed vocals that construct a brilliant atmosphere paired with repeated vocals throughout ‘Fill the Void’ the guitar rings out and proves that this track was a great choice in terms of opening the black void of heavy modern rock, the track proves to set the pace for this explosive album.

Second on the album and my personal favourite, tilted ‘Takedown’ that engages their audience with a theatrical guitar riff parallel to a lot of dirty rock bands. The vocals are more transparent than the last track and the band keeps their consistency of habitual and echoed vocals throughout the tracks. Midway through the track, more layered guitar is introduced which grows more prominent as the song shreds through until finished. There’s a small guitar solo towards the end of the track that synchronises with the tectonic drums that adds to the formidability of the track.

‘Man on Fire’ is the next track on the album that proliferates directly into your ears, no build up like the past two tracks. There’s pivotal guitar riffs and rapid drums with more pronounced double bass. Vocalist Greenhall's voice is just as tight and strong in this track. During ‘Man on Fire’ there’s a few aggressive slides down the strings of the guitar, proving the well-thought-out creativity within the band when it comes to songwriting. The track concludes as rapidly as it began with powerful drums and immeasurable exciting riffs.

The next track on this exhilarating album is ‘Wake Up (Sleepwalker)’ that contains more enthralling vocals, consistent with their theme of echoes throughout the album. The drums start to appear more as you work your way through the album. This track starts with a high-pitched whistle and steady drumbeat; guitars and bass can be heard in the background but are not the focal point of this particular track. ‘Wake Up (Sleepwalker)’ is the ideal track to sing along to on a huge stage where the music can resonate and spread around an arena.

‘This Time I’m Ready’ is a track that surprised me, it begins with lethargic vocals and is clearly a more emotional track with a piano heard in the background. This track is midway through the album and the list suggests the band wanted their audience to listen to the rock songs first and then pay attention to the more emotional and meaningful track in the middle of the album. There is a gentler guitar riff throughout ‘This Time I’m Ready’, which is not as ultra heavy as the other tracks. The lyrics are about everything coming to an end but accepting it, something a lot of people can relate to. Suddenly the track changes velocity towards the end and the guitar riffs become weighty – the namesake of the album ‘Inhale/Exhale’ lyrics are heard from vocalist Greenhall. The ending of this track is a lot more solid and angrier than the start of the song; heavier guitar riffs giving the vocals space to breathe and ripen to be louder and louder. ‘This Time I’m Ready’ fades back into a tranquil song with the piano and a hint of violin as it drifts to a halt.

Those Damn Crows know exactly what they want their music to sound like, they do not sound confused on what their genre is; they keep it either heavy rock or metal with their creative tactics that are obvious throughout. Drummer Ronnie Huxford gels the band together with his use of big crashes on the cymbals rather than constantly relying on the snare, all of these methods add more substance to each track. ‘Find A Way’ is one of the heftier tracks, leaning more towards metal than heavy rock. There are monstrous guitar riffs and it is clear these guitarists have a wide range of genres under their belt. The vocals are loud and echoed over each other in a chant – very ‘feel good’ rock anthem with a hint of metal from the riffs and tone used. There’s a guitar solo with a lot of bending of the strings to articulate those heavier riffs that challenge the notion that this album is just heavy rock and nothing else.

Last track on the album is ‘Waiting For Me’ which starts with a repetitive bassline, differing from the other tracks that were more guitar led. Vocals kick in with a bizarre effect attached to them, effects sound very dystopian and leans into the future of heavy rock. The vocals swell into repeated lyrics of ‘I can tell’ with a distorted voice and sounds very similar to Sleep Token in the sense of an atmospheric build-up when they are using multiple different instruments and exaggerated voice effects on the vocals - this makes it a very creative album that isn’t as boring as most rock albums released recently.

‘Inhale/Exhale’ is an album that is intelligent in telling a story throughout each track, as vocalist Greenhall explained that the album revolves around just taking a breath and having time for yourself, the artwork of the album is a ribcage that signifies the message of the band’s music – Greenhall talks about how when we experience an emotion, our breath changes and we must learn how to breathe in difficult situations and the album certainly signifies this point during all ten tracks.