Converge's Jacob Bannon on Crowbar's "Incredible" Album 'Odd Fellows Rest' | Revolver

Converge's Jacob Bannon on Crowbar's "Incredible" Album 'Odd Fellows Rest'

Bannon: 1998 LP is "one of the most powerful metal albums of the era"
jacob bannon 2017 PRESS, Reid Haithcock
photograph by Reid Haithcock

Converge frontman Jacob Bannon is curating the 2018 installment of the heralded Belgium arts and music festival Roadburn. Among the bands he's picked are NOLA sludgecore pioneers Crowbar, who will be playing their burly, bruising 1998 LP Odd Fellows Rest in its entirety. Bannon commented on the selection of both the band and the album.

"Crowbar have been at the forefront of heavy music for nearly three decades. Early in their career, they were of the first to combine the key elements of the Doom and Thrash metal sounds, pioneering what is considered the Sludge metal genre. After a number of breakthrough releases, Crowbar released their 1998 album Odd Fellows Rest. This incredible album merged their existing heaviness with a refined melodic sensibility, creating one of the most powerful metal albums of the era.

"In 1991 I was introduced to Crowbar when I bought a tape of their Obedience Thru Suffering album. The sheer heaviness of the band floored me and I was hooked ever since. For me personally, their 1998 album Odd Fellows Rest is a high watermark of creativity. It is an incredible collection of songs that have been daily listens for me for nearly two decades."