Album Review: Clawfinger – Before We All Die
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
Cast your mind back to the early 90’s, big ballads were all around us, Bryan Adams infuriated the crap out of the entire planet, Metallica went mainstream, Nirvana, well, exploded, and the world appeared to be a much better place, except for Bryan Adams of course.
Beavering away from their first meeting whilst working at a geriatric hospital in Stockholm, a group bonded and set about unleashing their fury on the world. Clawfinger exploded onto the scene with their incredible debut album “Deaf Dumb Blind” (I still have my copy on CD somewhere) and before we knew it, they were everywhere, supporting the likes of Alice of Chains, Anthrax, playing festivals all over the world.
After releasing 7 albums, they disappeared, only to return some 18 years later with a new album and new messages. Armed with 12 new songs, frontman Zak Tell is back at the front, centre and side to side, spitting out lyrics with the same menace and anger that he did 30 years ago. As soon as you press play on opening track “Scum” you’ll recognise their trademark sound, with the guitars, keyboards and programmed sequences taking me back. It’s a song that will bring back lots of memories but it’s also a reminder that the band are still as relevant now as they were back then.
As the group comment, “we’re back, not to save the world, but to shout unapologetically while it burns” as “Ball & Chain” continues the furious assault. This song looks at personal issues with meaningful words like “For all the faults I create, I have to carry the weight” whilst the band delve into environmental, political and societal collapse. “Tear You Down” has a beat that just kicks ass from the first to the last and drops hard and heavy, with Tell rapping his way through the versus, it emphasises how much hate they have for corrupt leaders.
There’s more computerised mayhem and huge beats on the excellent “Big Brother”, no prizes for getting what gets their back up here, but they say what most of us think about those who “sacrifice your private life in order to get mention” and they’ve got the lyrics right and the compositions fit perfectly. “Linked Together” comes out of the corner like a prize fighter jabbing away at your skull, before “A Perfect Day” slows things down with a funky chilled out beat.
“Going Down (Like Titanic)” has that quintessential rap metal sound that they became synonymous with, as the bass bounces alongside the sparkling guitars sparkle before exploding into life during the anthemic chorus. This is a crackerjack of a song, which will launch several circle pits, before the frustration and rage go up several notches with “You Call Yourself a Teacher”.
“A Fucking Disgrace” dives further into personal issues and speaks about the demands on people to either be perfect or silent. The bluesy, cowboy style riff goes along smoothly before it gets an injection of pace, whereas there’s a more industrial feel to “Kill The Dream” with spoken words over a pulsating beat. They are very honest on these songs as they say the album is “part protest, part therapy session, and part middle finger to apathy and denial”.
The selfishness of humanity is addressed on penultimate track “Environmental Patients” with powerful words such as “we shamelessly believe in our own greatness” and they finish off with the album title track, “Before We All Die”. If you want an album that’s sounds like the best of 90’s rap metal, with heavy guitars, pounding drums, blistering bass lines, mixed with darkly humorous commentary, then this is for you. Clawfinger are back with a vengeance and are ready to tear shit up once again.
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