Album Details

• Artist: Last Crack
• Album: Burning Time
• Label: Roadrunner/Metal Mind
• Year of Release: 1991
• Original Release:
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2007-11-19

To be quite honest, it's shocking this band has slipped beneath my radar for so long. Having been making music since the late 80's, Last Crack are a band of much experience. They've recently reunited and are working on a new LP. This album, Burning Time, was there sophomore effort and was dropped all the way back in 1991. Now, Metal Mind has reissued it (along with other Roadrunner metal classics) in a special edition gold disc format limited to 2000 copies. I am proud to make that 1999 copies, as this is a fantastic alt-metal album that recalls the glory days of Alice In Chains and mid-period Metallica.

The blending of alternative and grunge tones with a base of melodic metal reminiscent of Maiden or Metallica provides interesting results. The vocals are very up front in the mix, bombastic and occasionally Bono-esque when he reaches into higher registers. Songs like "Wicked Sandbox", "My Burning Time" and "Kiss A The Cold" are heavy as hell without sacrificing melody, a trouble point for many metal bands but obviously not for Last Crack. I really enjoy it when they stretch their collective creative noggin, like on the groovy "Mack Bollases" and my personal favorite, "Down Beat Dirt Messiah" with it's opening tribal drums and overall foriegn feel, almost a precursor to Godsmack's "Voodoo".

Over the album you'll hear hints of Pantera, Metallica, Anthrax...basically all the metal that was big at the time Last Crack wrote the album. It's impressive that such a wide collection of inspirations can result in something not hodgepodged and dismantled, but Burning Time is chemistry defined. Like I said forthright, it's amazing I haven't heard of them before this. If you want a trip back to metal's glory years, check this one out. 

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