Beast on My Back (B.O.M.B.)

Long Island's Crumbsuckers are a band that require no introduction to fans of either hardcore punk or metal: their 1986 debut "Life of Dreams" is a crossover thrash genre classic, some of the members went on to form Pro-Pain and they were even name-dropped on an episode of "Miami Vice" (still trying to figure out how that happened). Their sophomore and last full-length, 1988's "Beast On My Back" serves as twisted swan song to the classic crossover thrash movement as well as a bridge to future genres of both metal and of course hardcore.

1986s "Life of Dreams" came out in a period of various crossover thrash classics being released : Stormtrooper of Death's "Speak English or Die" in '85, Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted" in '86, Suicidal Tendencies "Join the Army' in '87. All of these releases served to solidify the genre, but "Beast On My Back" (often abbreviated as "B.O.M.B.") takes all those influences and adds a few that were hitherto never conceived to be added to crossover thrash. End result: it blows the lid off the genre and takes it to its logical conclusion.

It opens with the simple but effective piano intro of "Breakdown" and before you realize what the boundaries of what crossover thrash are and are not, the futuristic opening riff of "Charge" is coming at you. The guitar work on this album and their arrangement are ahead of their time. There are motifs on here that not heard again for years and some that have never been replicated at all. Dave Wynn is out, replaced by one Robbie Koebler. This guitar duo (including of course long-time guitarist Chuck Lenihan) boldly go where no 6-stringer has gone before. Unlike Megadeth, their powers are used for good and not evil: every sentence on this album is challenging and complex without showing off (like the aforementioned Megadeth are sometimes guilty of).

All of the musical prowess and the ensuing songs are tied together by Chris Notaro's trademark gruff vocals. The gratitude for them is palpable because under the pipes of any other vocalist, this could have been a very different record. If the musicians bring the hard rock, progressive and technical thrash elements to the proceedings, Chris Notaro's contributions firmly retains its NYHC heart.

There's nothing else I can express about this album. It's tempting to compare to "B.O.M.B" to contemporaries, but it is in a league of its own. Sure there were bands mixing it up, but none did it with the expansiveness, fluency or creativity that Crumbsuckers do on "B.O.M.B". Not long after this releases, D.R.I. released "Thrash Zone" and the proverbial jig was up. Crossover thrash soldiered on for a few years with eyebrow-raising raising releases by bands like Rumble Militia and Spudmonsters (Suicidal Tendencies "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" was the last nail) but by '93, even Suicidal Tendencies didn't even want to thrash any more and put out "The Art of Rebellion".

On a theoretical note: it is fun to imagine where Crumbsuckers would've went musically after this release if they had stayed together, whether with this line-up or with new members. The bands they formed after the dissolution of Crumbsuckers (the failed Heavy Rain and the more well-known Pro-Pain) were radically different from each other. But we do have "B.O.M.B" as a crowning jewel of crossover thrash and a fittingly convoluted send-off to a genre that the Crumbsuckers helped along in filling its full potential for combining metal and hardcore with all its offshoots.

I listened to “Life of Dreams” some time in the late-80’s since friends of mine recommended it to me as a really cool slab of thrash/crossover along the lines of D.R.I. and early Carnivore. It was all right, but I hardly fell in love with it, and consequently never showed any interest in tracking down anything else from their camp. I came across Pro-Pain’s “Foul Taste of Freedom” a few years later, and I did like it since the guys were one of the better representatives of the new groove/thrashcore wave, and also one of its instigators. I followed the band all the way to the early-00’s although I found their first three instalments way superior to the last three.

We’re sitting with this friend of mine some time in 2001, animatedly discussing the very likely return of the old school to the fore, and are trying to envisage how 90’s heroes like Pro-Pain would be able to fit into this new canvas. I agree with him that the band’s last three showings were not that impressive as the guys were seemingly running on autopilot, producing the same stuff over and over with the novelty from their beginnings long since worn out. Then he shoots that the best thing Gary Meskil and Co. have put their name under is the Crumbsuckers sophomore. I thought he was joking, but the man said he was dead serious, and handed me immediately the album reviewed here.

Even by 2001 surprises within the metal circuit were a rare phenomenon, but this effort caught me completely unprepared. My friend didn’t tell me what to expect, just asked me to give it a listen. And I did listen to it with all the attention I could summon at the time. Mind you. The opener “Breakout” had to be something really thrashing hence the title… instead, it lures you into profound romanticism with a 1.5-min piano intro. If this isn’t the most offbeat beginning to a supposedly thrash metal opus, then I don’t know what is. I was sure this friend of mine had taken me for a ride as the guys had obviously spaced out in a way similar to Voivod and beyond. Then some gorgeous leads, taken straight from the Shrapnel catalogue, commence out of nowhere, and my confusion became even bigger; followed the jumpy scratchy riffs a few seconds later, and the fast-paced technical strokes, and that was it; thrash had come to stay in the band’s repertoire executed in a most proficient manner. A wonderful metamorphosis which has only started: “Jimmy’s Dream” is rather “Dave Mustaine’s dream” as this sophisticated intricate approach was later used as a base for the entire Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace”: just listen to the opening riff-salad and be flooded with memories of “Holy Wars” and “Tornado of Souls”; this short ripper is a masterpiece of vitriolic brisk thrash with a few corey breaks the latter also placed at the beginning of “Charge” which charges forward with lashing mid-tempo guitars before speedy crescendos take over and create numerous headbanging opportunities for the adventurous thrash entrepreneurs.

“Initial Shock” is another brilliant forerunner to “Rust in Peace”, a fabulous all-instrumental piece with stylish licks galore pouring from all pores along choppy breaks ala Mordred’s “In This Life”, plus a beautiful balladic passage. “I Am He” is a raging speedster with genuine technical decisions at every corner (watch out for the one at the end as well), leaving small room for a few slower stomping strokes and another quiet interlude. “The Connection” slows down acquiring more tamed power/thrash hybrid parametres, but the jarring rhythm-section and the excellent melodic guitar work will leave no one indifferent. “Rejuvenate” is a not very predictable shredder which linear start is transformed into a pleiad of intriguing stop-and-go rhythms and several more lyrical excursions. “Remembering Tomorrow” is a sequel to Iron Maiden’s “Remember Tomorrow”… kidding of course, but its sprawling balladic beginning goes in a similar direction until a march-like riff-pattern breaks the idyll and inaugurates a fast dynamic dash, the latter ornated by gorgeous melodic tunes. The title-track has the grateful task to wrap up this opus, and the guys unleash the final portion of speedy technical guitars, a tantalizing rifforama interrupted by the virtuous leads and a few more melodic decisions.

Progressive/technical thrash has settled in comfortably on US soil at the time, represented by the works of Watchtower, Toxik, and Realm although apart from the Watchtower debut every other effort was released at around the same time as the album here. Megadeth were just an unrealised potential in this train of thought (I guess sometimes it takes a prominent Shrapnel hero to do the trick), and Forbidden and Heathen were just primal bashers. Crumbsuckers followed their own mind without any strives for emulation, also willing to show to the world how proficient they were as musicians. Cause this opus is the best possible illustration of this intention also carving a path followed by other crossover practitioners towards a more thrash-fixated sound: D.R.I. (“Thrash Zone”), Suicidal Tendencies (“Lights, Camera, Revolution”), Nuclear Assault (“Out of Order”), Ludichrist (“Powertrip”)… even Rumble Militia (“They Give You the Blessing”), if you like, from the other side of the Atlantic. Needless to add, neither of the mentioned albums possessed the technical flair and the creative sweep of the Crumbsuckers work…unique stuff on all counts which for most fans was just a freaky phenomenon akin to other isolated technical/progressive efforts like Holocausto’s “Negatives” and Loudblast’s “Sublime Dementia”.

The follow-up in the face of the Pro-Pain exploits didn’t seem like the most logical one for me anymore; on the contrary, it now seemed like undermining the guys’ skills in a not very dignified way. And, the technical/progressive metal scene had more life in it, extended all the way to 1991; the Crumbsuckers could have fitted into it like a glove, “living the dream” as one of its most distinguished representatives. The groove, the aggro, and the grunge were mere vague nightmares at the time… mysteries, mysteries; to which only Gary Meskil and his comrades can throw some light on. If I ever come across them, these are the two questions I will ask them instantly, “Why on Earth did you not unleash a second “B.O.M.B.?!”; “Why did you…” actually, this second question I haven’t been able to formulate properly yet; so I’ll leave it at that. To be continued…

If you were well-submerged in the NY Underground Scene in the 80’s, ‘Beast On My Back’ (a.k.a. B.O.M.B.) by Crumbsuckers probably does ring a bell. The album cover does not feature any heavy metal artist’s work, but it’s just a photo of the band looking directly at you (as if they were saying ‘Listen to our stuff, then judge!’), what makes B.O.M.B. little appealing for anyone unaware of the band. As a matter of fact, B.O.M.B. is a challenge to anyone because of its content, if compared to ‘Life Of Dreams’, their debut full-length.

The nine-track effort spans 30+ minutes and is mainly based on metal-biased rhythms with little hints of their previous leaning for the crossover approach. The opening track starts with a piano passage before the band really kickstar the tune, which maybe surprised more than one who has listened to their first stuff. What follows is a parade of technical riffs in the metal mood with melody-based leadwork, spiced with lyrics about societal anguish. The music in B.O.M.B. can be considered as example of how crossover and metal can be fused together. The guitarwork is tight and crunchy while the bass-drums tandem, courtesy of Gary Meskil and Dan Richardson, provides a rhythmic formula many bands have tried at that time. The slower parts seem to be more focused and serene while the faster are somewhat acidic. In other words, the album may be less tiresome if consumed in small doses.

Most of the tracks are under the 4-minute range and feature Chris Notaro’s raspy vocals that are sometimes dreadful. Tracks like ‘Breakout’, ‘Charge’, ‘I Am He’, and the title track are fierce and somewhat interesting, but a couple of them can really generate a lasting impression. It seems the whole album is a display of technical musicianship rather than an inspired outcome. The instrumental cut ‘Initial Shock’ is entertaining (perhaps because of the absence of Notaro’s vocals) with melodious offerings by guitarists R. Koelber and C. Lenihan.

In spite of being the last document of the Crumbsuckers, B.O.M.B. is maybe the product the band is mostly known for. Fans of their first full-length were perhaps disappointed after listening to B.O.M.B., but one must recognize the fact tried to make some steps ahead. The songs are decent, even good at tearing your neighbors' ears apart, but get a regular grade in being catchy. Not that this collection of songs is not worth the bucks you hardly earned but that it’s the legacy of a band that is worth checking when it comes to the days of yore in the NY Underground Scene.