Like Sheep Led to Slaughter

Karyn Crisis: artist, pioneer, martyr, visionary. One of the first and most compelling of all female metal vocalists. A woman who endured as much scorn and abuse as she did accolades and acclaim. From the share of negative reviews gracing this entry, her detractors are still out in full force. It is a shame really. Crisis crawled and scraped their way out of the NYC gutters to create a small but loyal cult of fans willing to accept a female-fronted metal band. Their music was niche but they forced their way forward, sharing the stage with acts cutting a swath across all styles and genres of heavy music. They were unparalleled live, the band literally opening its veins and rubbing its wounds raw onstage. From 1993 to 1998, Crisis (along with fellow NYC sludge mavens 13) opened the door for women in metal, creating several memorable albums of artistically interesting hybrid death-thrash along the way. Then they split up and the door they had opened was kicked down by others. Like many of the earliest pioneers in music, Crisis's accomplishments were little acknowledged. Other bands, with slicker music, hogged up the spotlight.

Crisis returned in 2004 to much press and belated acclaim with "Like Sheep Led To Slaughter," an album I had keenly anticipated for years and never really believed would arrive. When the staccato drums of 'Waking The Dead' slashed across my eardrums, I know it was for real. Crisis was back and as deadly as ever. 'Waking The Dead' features everything that makes a great Crisis song: sharp, crisp rhythms; stabbing riffs sliding between simple and technical; Karyn's voice finding the balance on her teeter-totter of ethereal and brutal. Her voice is capable of just about anything -- guttural death-roars, pixieish lilting sing-song, horrific shrieks, monotone spoken-word, barking rasps. She has a deep arsenal and unleashes it all, often within the context of the single song. Many find this off-putting but I find it fascinating.

'Graveyard of Bitches' continues Crisis's theme of proto-feminist song-writing, turning the power dynamics inherent in most metal on their head. This song has a more pronounced hardcore style, their earlier affiliations with the fringes NYHC scene creeping through in the splash-cymbal breakdown that leads into a complete 180 clean-picking part, haunting and almost Middle Eastern sounding before devolving into a roar of imploding violence.

'Blood Burden' is an absolute highlight, a skull-crushing stomper that gets my heart pounding in seconds. If the music is slightly simpler than what appeared on their earlier recordings, it is also far more accessible without sacrificing the overall integrity of the music. Crisis haters I knew totally got down to this song when they heard it performed live.

'Secrets of the Prison House' is positively epic, a raw southern dirge, dirty and slimy. Karyn vomits her most powerful vocal performance here, a literal retch of vileness full of seething rage and discontent. This song is brilliant, particularly the clean interlude towards the end, allowing for a catch of breath before the sewer overflows again. You'll feel like you need a shower after.

Billy Anderson's production on this record is perfect. The guitars sound dirty and heavy. The bass is audible, beefing up the riffs considerably. The drums are tight and crisp. Karyn's voice is front and center, perfectly balanced, her entire range audible and strong. This is one of his many masterful recordings and Crisis's second-best album after "The Hollowing."