If you made a list of all the bands currently playing the style of music labeled as metalcore, you could fill up 30 or 40 pages in Microsoft Word. There are that many of them. Luckily, for every five bands ripping off At the Gates and Hatebreed simultaneously, there's a band doing metalcore right.
Luckily for us, Crimes of Passion are not just another band in the "Metalcore for dummies" series. They are an amalgamation of hardcore's intensity with brutal mid tempo metal riffs and guitar solos. Crimes of Passion could easily fit well on a bill with bands like With Honor, Zombie Apocalypse, or even Darkest Hour. They are diverse enough to appeal to a large number of people, but don't necessarily venture out of the umbrella of hardcore.
"Pinching the Minds of the Indolent and Feeble," the first of three tracks, gives you a good idea of what you're in for. Group shouts, grainy vocals, and harmonized guitars fill out this 13 minute demo.
"Final Sunrise," the second song, starts off with some technical leads, a slightly faster tempo than the previous track, and some great drumming. Singer Al Halas' screaming is one of my favorite parts of this band, as it traverses the line between brutal and melodic, with just a hint of the raspy style found in bands like As Friends Rust or older Hot Water Music.
The closing track on the demo, "Breathe Deep Before Destruction," comes complete with an intro that makes it sound as though the band had listened to Megadeth's discography a couple times over. It kicks off with a slow drumbeat accompanied by a down tempo guitar riff, while giving off a very dark and epic feel. As the track hits the breakdown, guitarists Matt Pauszek and Rob Greenman break into a near Dillinger Escape Plan moment, as their fingers dance up and down the frets faster than a high speed chase on "Cops."
Crimes of Passion's demo shows definite promise for the band. It will definitely be interesting to see where these boys go. Add them as your friend on MySpace and come along for the ride, because Crimes of Passion are going places.
