EP REVIEW: Criminal Mastermind – Novacrow

Two years ago, Liverpool grunge/alternative rock outfit NOVACROW burst onto the scene with their debut EP, Black Syrup, which impressed many with its eclectic musical range and energetic, powerful vibe. With follow-up Criminal Mastermind, they stick to this successful formula, and use it as a solid base on which to build things up and branch out.

Fever Swamp gets things off to a rather surreal start, with silly sound effects and what sounds like a distorted Santa Claus gathering children around as he begins to tell them a story about a werewolf-infested village. This, to much effect, shows off a warped sense of humour from the band that was mostly absent from their first release, and becomes one of the recurring themes of Criminal Mastermind, along with chunky guitar riffs, reminiscent of classic rock and heavy metal, that do a great job of immediately hooking you in, pounding drum beats, and an anthemic vocal delivery full of attitude.

These qualities are at their most evident with the title track, which has lyrical content dealing with a bunch of idiotic bank robbers conducting an ill-fated heist, and along with fourth song Lab Rat, will most likely become a live favourite in time. However, it’s not just all fun and games, for example, Are You Happy?, despite being the lightest-sounding song of this offering, with softer, more melodic vocals, overall slower pace, and a gentler riff, is actually the darkest lyrically, covering the currently much-discussed topic of mental health, and provides a thought-provoking finale to proceedings.

Overall, Criminal Mastermind is, for the most part, an enjoyable, at times humorous, experience, with painstakingly put-together, diversely-influenced tracks that manage to sound relatively uncomplicated, making them of much appeal to casual listeners as well as die-hard fans of grunge and alternative rock, and is also an effective showcase for the natural progression in both NOVACROW’s sound and songwriting approach.

Rating: 7/10

Criminal Mastermind is set for release on November 16th via self-release.

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