CRAWL – No Way Out
Mostly inspired by the mighty GODFLESH, American Crawl was formed back in late 80s play industrial oriented heavy music. They’ve released two records in 1995 and 1996, but after that, the band went into a deep sleep. Crawl reformed in 2019 after a lengthy hiatus and re-released their debut EP Womb on Combat Records. A number of live performances followed that led the members to start writing & recording new music with the goal of creating a new full length release.
The new record No Way Out was released on June 27th, 2025. After almost 30 years, they’re still remaining true to Crawl’s signature industrial metal roots with influences from death metal and hardcore. However, they’re also appealing to a new era of metal audience with modern influences and production. The album has 12 tracks, 42 minutes in length and when it comes to design of the record, its evident that Crawl wanted to keep songs short, direct and on to the point.
After a short intro, you’ll feel there’s a distinct cold, industrial sheen overlaying the death metal core, creating a mechanical, brutal sonic assault. If you’re seeking melodic breathers you’re probably gonna be exhausted after couple songs, because No Way Out remains steeply focused on pure aggression and groove. I really enjoyed that heavy-bass driven sound. On songs like Parasite, you can hear that chugging bass over punchy double bass drums. Guitarwork mainly consists of death metal chugging to build the album’s oppressive atmosphere. There are several moments with more djenty, groovy riffs as well. When combined with hardcore style gang vocals and bursting blast-beat parts, they’re are creating a dynamic shift from the industrial death metal’s cold brutality.
My favorite tracks are Parasite, very energetic Fortress (it also has short samples from the movie Psycho) and mid-tempo It Haunts us All but actually the songs are not so different than each other. There is an integrated approach to create a monlithic record, and I believe Crawl managed to achieve it on No Way Out. Just take a look at the cover, if that oppressive atmosphere leaves you gasping for air and crushing your insides, I can guarentee listening to No Way Out will make you feel exactly like that.
