Beast on My Back in Bloomington, MN

With the release of
Beast on My Back
, New York's
Crumbsuckers
tossed aside their
hardcore
associations, choosing instead to fully commit to
metal
. The term
thrash
doesn't fully describe the tone of this 1988 sophomore full-length. The dense guitar harmonies and rapid-fire power chords combine with an unceasing vocal croak that brings to mind Florida's burgeoning
death metal
scene of the time. Some technically challenging double-kick drum performances -- about ten times faster than
"Rejuvenate"
-- are all that is needed to complete this offering's genre shift away from
. When compared to the precise guitar parts, the drumming on
lacks definition. This gives the otherwise-impressive
disc an unbalanced feel. There is no such problem on highlights like
"Jimmies Dream,"
with its straight-up
, or the dynamic
"Remembering Tomorrow."
But ultimately, some conceptual ambiguity weighs heavily on this 1988 recording: a surprisingly progressive, but ultimately disappointing effort. ~ Vincent Jeffries