Crux “Rev Smrti - Scream of Death” CD

Crux formed in Czechoslovakia in the late-80's (with lineup ties to Root and Denet), and while I admittedly know little about their history, I bought this fucker immediately after I randomly stumbled across some samples last week. It's that good, trust me. The trio recorded their first demo, "Scream of Death", in 1990, and this new CD re-release from I Hate is the first to have used the original master tape; while also tacking on four bonus tracks recorded in 1990, 1992, 1998, and 2003. I believe there are also some tracks included from 1993's "Terrific Warrior" demo, which was recorded with a slightly different lineup, but the recording credits aren't very specific at all, so... I'm not entirely sure. But I don't fucking care, man. Wherever it came from, this is some absolutely stellar death/thrash (with occasional little hints of black metal) that's jam packed with incredible riffs and tons of energy. From awesomely fast, rugged thrash metal to slightly chunkier midpaced rhythms, all fronted by totally killer vocals that lend an added sense of fierce aggression to everything. But what really gets me are the unexpected melodic attributes that pop up throughout the material, from the well-executed solos and the subtle bass runs to the surprisingly unique rhythmic twists and even a few fuckin' awesome acoustic passages—especially when contrasted by the sneering hostility of the vocals. And all of this made even more impressive considering the age of the recordings and the band's lack of finances at the time! Insane!

As far as the bonus tracks, I've been able to determine that the first is a 1998 cover of Crux's "Demons of Darkness" recorded by Entrails and taken from their "Serpent Seed" album; while the second seems to be an expanded instrumental interpretation of Crux's "The First Key" (here called "The Last Key") recorded in 1992 by Cales (and both Entrails and Cales featured among their ranks Petr "Blackosh" HoÅ¡ek from Crux)—though the CD packaging wasn't a huge help there. The third is an acoustic rendition of "Awathea" recorded in 2003, but I have absolutely zero details there. And the final track, "Farm House"? Recorded in 1990, I can only assume it's an early, pre-"Scream of Death" recording from the band's rehearsal space... in a farm house. And yes, it sounds like utter shit, but it's only 30 seconds long, so... no worries! The first three bonus tracks are great, and the inconsistencies of the recordings are insignificant in terms of the listening experience.

The disc is packaged alongside a 20-page booklet with some great liner notes about the band's early history, as well as plenty of old pictures and English translations of the lyrics. My only minor complaint, which I touched on earlier, is that the recording credits are way too vague. It's not a big deal, but it'd have been nice had they better outlined exactly where all this stuff came from, you know? Like I said, though, I don't care, 'cause this shit rips. I'm totally blown away by how awesome this CD is, and I've listened to it a shitload already. Highly recommended. Just check out how fucking epic "The First Key" is. Amazing. I love it.

Crux "The First Key"
Crux "Bells of Return"

I'm telling you, this shit's pure gold, so don't be an ass. If you like what you hear, definitely pick up a copy for yourself:

The End Records