CRUCIFIED BARBARA
In The Red
Despotz (2014)
Rating: 8/10
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In 2012, Swedish all-female quartet Crucified Barbara released its third opus, The Midnight Chase. I wasn’t exactly moved by that record as I found it a little on the tame side, and yet I was looking forward to instalment number four from these gals.
In The Red offers the listener 11 tracks, which appear a touch more meatier this time round, making this album the best these ladies have released since 2005 debut In Distortion We Trust.
Mixing some harder-edged, rough ’n’ ready hooks with heaps of melody, In The Red is led in high and mighty fashion by guitarist Mia Coldheart’s husky rasp, which adds extra attitude and oomph to several of the catchy anthems on offer. She’s aided by fellow axe-wielder Klara Force, bassist Ida Evileye and drummer Nicki Wicked – while the names may be a touch on the corny side, it seems that the girls have finally got their act together and upped the ante.
The release opens with ‘I Sell My Kids For Rock ‘N’ Roll’; a stirring, stomping speedy track featuring a rollicking intro of flailing leads and surging riffs and those stabbing drums. Coldheart’s vocals have that nice, hoarse bark to them, bringing a punchier aspect to proceedings. What I like about this record and that first track is the fact that Crucified Barbara has let fly from the off. As someone who spent my teenage years listening to the likes of Girlschool and The Runaways, it’s fantastic to hear another troupe boasting attitude and aggression. Okay, so it’s pretty basic at times, but it’s delivered with such energy and passion that I cannot fault it.
We then come to ‘To Kill A Man’, a truly apocalyptic chugger full of angst and darkness; the band steer way from routine here to speak about rape, and that shadowy subject is reflected perfectly via those overwhelming, churning guitars and Coldheart’s earnest vocal cries. ‘To Kill A Man’ may be a stark contrast to ‘I Sell My Kids For Rock ‘N’ Roll’, but it exhibits the band’s talent to vary their sound and remains one of the best songs I’ve heard off any album this year.
‘Electric Sky’ ups the tempo again, however, with its metallic stomp and straight up rusted drive. While many felt that the band’s last opus lacked bite, Crucified Barbara cannot be accused of that this time round. My only issue with this tune is the rather bland chorus after such a promising start, but the flaws are few and far between on In The Red. ‘The Ghost Inside’ is another slow burner brought in on a dark riff before its eventual gallop, while ‘Don’t Call On Me’ is a fetching slice of melodic metal again featuring catchy hook and speedier intentions.
With an album boasting so many sturdy numbers, the title track does its job as being the pivotal moment and centre-piece with its bustling drum and Coldheart’s rougher approach which leads into that punchy chanted chorus. It’s the no nonsense ‘Finders Keepers’ which I adore the most, though; a sleazy, fiery brand of metal boasting a prodding percussive jab and that direct no frills chorus.
In a sense, Crucified Barbara has become a simpler yet more aggressive animal, marrying a sort of punk rock energy into its already successful if previously somewhat lacking rock, although In The Red is spot on in showcasing what the band has only promised on previous efforts. This time round the girls have finally hit the nail on the head and delivered a high octane metal composition.
Neil Arnold
