The Crawling – All of This for Nothing [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

U.K. doom-death act The Crawling had some decent to solid releases in the past, their doom-death style both familiar and comforting, but they never really blew me away. They’d been quiet since 2018’s Wolves and the Hideous White, but they roared back in a big way in August with their third album, All of This for Nothing. Taking their blend of influences ranging from Novembers Doom, Bolt Thrower, and My Dying Bride and pushing the envelope hard, they created what is their most expansive and entertaining album thus far. And it’s such an engaging release because it so adroitly marries big hooks with dark moods and heavy atmospheres while making their style come across as something reasonably new and refreshing. Not an easy trick to pull off these days, but The Crawling manage it and in the process make All of This for Nothing a standout moment in 2023.

Early on in opener “March of the Worm” it becomes clear The Crawling have stumbled onto something. The song moves through familiar territories fluctuating between doom, death and sludge, playing with moods and tempos to craft a strange beast of a song that keeps you attentive and alert. The shifting moods are handled very well and the ebb and flow is great. The material gets deeper and more engrossing as the album unspools, with “Another Vulture” sounding very Bolt Thrower-esque with a blackened doom overlay that keeps blowing off, exposing the chugging death metal core in all its horrid glory. “Thy Nazarene” wanders off into Moonspell and Heavenwood territory with side quests to raid Paradise Lost and it has a weird hypnotic aura to it that gets under your brain skin. The cleanly sung segment is especially biting and reminds me of the material on Heavenwood’s The Tarot of the Bohemians Part I.

Bigger still is the mega-bleak, grim but oddly uplifting “Bound to the Negative” which swills deeply from the Peaceville Three era while conjuring some uber-mournful Saint Vitus-friendly doom leads that chill the soul before segueing into OSDM chugs and thuggery. It’s an 8-plus minute song that doesn’t feel long at all and keeps you on your toes throughout. Another big high point comes with closer “Sparrow,” which sounds like November Doom borrowing from Katatonia and Swallow the Sun. It’s heavy as fook but oddly beautiful and hypnotic.

Andy Clarke knocks it out of the park with a huge collection of massive doom riffs, mournful trilling, and crushing death chugs. The guy is all over this thing and it’s hard to believe there isn’t another axe involved. Clarke and Stuart Rainey do a great job trading vocals, mixing nasty death roars, blackened cackling, and occasional clean bits to maximum effect. Clarke’s death vocals often sit between Paul Kuhr and Nick Holmes and provide a meaty heaviness to the material. Also well worth mentioning is the slick, nuanced drumming by Gary Beattie. He effortlessly bridges the gaps between the different genres the band dabbles in, keeping everything cocked and locked. The Crawling evolved into a much more dangerous act here and this thing is a relentless grower. Give it a chance to burrow into your overloaded music centers. You won’t be sorry.

Tracks to Check Out: “Thy Nazarene,” “Bound to the Negative,” “Sparrow”