Customer Reviews

Like Sheep Led to Slaughter

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is their most consistent album so far and easily the best. While Karyn's voice may not be the prettiest, it's certainly the loudest, and these songs showcase the wide variety of styles she commands - screaming, growling, yelping, and her surprisingly soft, high-pitched singing voice. Overall the production is very loud and garagey, with fuzzy guitars and boomy drums and ear-shredding, slightly overdriven vocals. It's a dark, angry mix of death and doom, although it goes so far beyond the confines of those two genres that it becomes impossible to classify. It's Crisis at their best, and that's all you need to know.

I can't say enough about this band. I think they are hands down one of the most innovative and unique bands on the planet and will probably never get the recognition they deserve as they are so widely misunderstood. The vocalist (Karyn Crisis) alone would be enough to carry this band, she has a range that defies logic when you hear it, but the band members, each and every one of them, are very talented and lend a huge variety of influences to the music that makes up for a whole that to me, is breathtakingly intense and savagely beautiful. I could ramble on about them but I think I can make my point best by saying, "Buy this CD".

I was fortunate enough to bare witness to Crisis, opening for Soulfly at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY. Mesmerizing and annihilating. Karyn Crisis is a force of reckoning. Animated and carried aloft by the pristine power of her band, she employs every vocal acrobatic to full extreme: from innocent little girl to wrathful Fury, and every nuance in between. Like Sheep To Slaughter is Crisis' best sounding effort by far, and a most shining achievement in the realm of heavy music. It is one of those rare CDs that you can't wait to get home from work and listen to. It is the culmination of over a decade of music from this band, drawing from every previous influence (Middle Eastern, Baroque, Death Metal), and melting it down to a brutally unrelenting tincture. Thank you Crisis, for reinforcing my undying love for heavy music.

Finally, "Like Sheep Led To Slaughter" is here! I have been a CRISIS fan for years, and I have yet to find another band like them. Karyn Crisis completely blows me away everytime she opens her mouth. You would never expect this gorgeous little entity to have so much power locked up inside her. She knows exactly how to express all the emotion, and aggression you could ever imagine feeling. Not only is CRISIS amazing musically, they are very down to earth, and not in the business for the glamour of it all. They are in it for the pure art of it, never afraid to stand out, make a statement, and break boundaries. We definitely need more musicians like them!

When it comes to metal, my tastes are pretty specific, yet I've been more than surprised quite a few times in recent memories. Crisis is one of those bands for me. I was fully ready to be let down but I wasn't, in fact since I bought Like Sheep Led To Slaughter I haven't looked back.

I was initially brought in by the cover art, which to be honest, I still don't completely know what's going on. However, the music is what kept my attention. When I think of a heavy band I think of in-your-face riffs, intense vocals, some double bass drumming, you know, the norm. However, Crisis doesn't seem to be afraid to experiment with the light to heavy brand of music. The melody they show throughout this CD is wonderful and actually only adds to the overall experience, such is the case with The Fate.

Karyn Crisis is unlike any female singer (well, screamer) I've heard recently. Her screams are reminescent of a bit more intense version of Wayne Static of Static-X, yet when she sings, she doesn't sound like anyone else. As for the rest of the band, I would write them off as being a typical metal band but when you hear how well they set a mood and how well they keep up with Karyn, it's hard to do that. So ultimately Crisis is just a great band.

My favorite songs are A Graveyard For B*tches, Politics Of Domination, Rats In A Maze, Secrets Of The Prison House, and Study In Cancer. Crisis erased any doubt I had going in, they have successfully turned me into a fan. Sure there's one or two lackluster moments but even your greatest bands have that burden, there's no doubt that Crisis is something special and I can only kick myself for not knowing about them sooner.

Excuse me while I stop shaking... After seven years of miscelaneous problems stopping them and me whining incessantly in my basement, Crisis has a new CD out. I should warn you that I was so incredibly enthralled by both the Hollowing and Deathshead Extermination that calling me a drooling fanboy would at the very least be an understatment. So here I am with the new cd in hand and I am still giddy after several (or many many) listens. This one combines the visceral chaos of Deathshead with the refined soulfull destruction of the Hollowing. Much attention is given to Karen's psychotic vocal delivery (switching from straight singing to throat ripping screams and bowel-shuddering growls with little to no warning), which is damn fine, but few people mention the poetry and gorgeous emotional power of the music itself. Afzaal weaves emotive, entrancing rhythms while throwing down some of the punchiest riffs out there and Gia's bass feels like a bulldozer being run by a maestro. Newcomers Jwyanza and Josh add even more to the texture and power of the moment. Not really hardcore, or metalcore or deathmetal, these guys have paved their own road. Comparisons to bands like Otep are inevitable, which is sad since these guys predate them by almost a decade, but there really is no true comparison. If you like heavy, mentally chalenging music you must buy this now!!!!!

oh man this album is so good!!!! the middle eastern influences on "the fate" are just fantastic! this chick can scream, but she can also grunt, squeal, chirp and sing. hell she can probably yodel too if she were to join finntroll or something. great album, very original.

Now this group is pre Kitty,and pre Otep,and I'm not exactly sure if they're pre Arch Enemy,but that really doesn't matter to me because I don't really care for Arch Enemies music anyways.So anyway's,in my oppinion alot of these newer band's should definately pay homage to this group that's been around for quite some time,and probably were very influencial to alot of them.I also think this band is the best at what they do.Although I tend to annitially shy away from the real death metaly sounding group's.It's just not really my style to begin with.But this group is so much better than you'r everyday death metal ones.You know the ones that you can't make out a single word they're saying.They're alot like Otep,and Kitty.Not to mention Karyn Crisis has vocal's like an Angel.It's just hard at times to tell whether it's one from Heaven or from Hell.Actually I do at times like the contrast.This music makes me feel like I'm stuck in a classic horror movie or something.You know,the one's where the girl does those high pitch scream's,right when something really horrifying happen's.Now I don't know if that's the kind of sound they were going for,but there is definately a bit of that feel in this album,and even more in the Deathshead extermination album,check out the songs Bloodlines,Different way's of Decay,and Deadfall.Not so much however on the Hollowing album.Although I really like the song's Take the low road,Kingdom's end,and Vision,and the Verity.Altogether I think this band,along with their amazing singer Karyn Crisis!

Show or more aless provay a sound that kind of remind's me of a very moody,and arattic form of music.That goes from sounding like a girl being very Scared,then to being sad,then alittle Spunky,then Horrified!Then Mad,and sometimes she even sound's possessed.But then it all comes together in the end to be a real true form of not only her feeling's,but how we all feel at times,everything from the good,the bad,and the ugly.The song Take the low road off the Hollowing album is a great example.You know the chorus where she sings I HATE WHAT I AM ,AND I'M NOT MUCH MORE PLEASED WITH WHAT I'VE BECOME!YOU CAN CLOSE THE DOOR AND I'LL SLEEP AWAY THE DAYS!I DON'T BELIEVE IN ME!Now those leric's are very sad,but who hasn't felt like that atleast a few times in their life.I mean I think this group is the most emotional,and pure group,when it comes to showing their true feeling's there is,especially when it comes to displaying her's,and all people in generals imperfection's,and their doubt's,their anger,their confusion,and their hate.I mean all people are different,but in alot of way's we are all the same,and with that being said,I'd like to say the only problem I have with any of their album's,and that problem would be that she doesn't really ever do any song's all the way through where she just sing's normally,and I think Karyn's regular vocal's are really very beautiful.So hopefully god willing if they want to do another album.They can maybe throw on a few of thoughs.Now as you can tell I really like all of CRISIS'S album's.So naturally I think you should RUN OUT,AND BUY THEM ALL!!!!

In this release by CRISIS, dark metal and experimental hardcore acted like two opposing cars in a game of chicken, only that nobody was the coward before the eventual collision. Musically speaking, there are some elements of intensity and energy but the vocals essentially ruined it. It may have been a case of experimentation on the part of Karyn Crisis but the erratic tendencies diminished the overall vibe of the record. It wasn't for a lack of effort either but the constantly changing vocal octaves gave the impression that they were putting forth a little too much effort in the `being different" department. The record did exude a sense of darkness and mysticism as would any dark metal record would but time and again, the vocals seemed ill placed as if it they were an afterthought. Although the CD seemed directionless at times, a couple of tracks saved it from it being cast into the depths of being labeled sub par. The chugging "Politics of Domination" and the OTEP styled "Blood Burden" were two of the more impressive songs on the disc. If a more thrash orientated ARCH ENEMY sounds appealing then CRISIS is perfect match for you.

Ive had a mild intrest in Crisis since their Deathshead cd but thats i t they never really impressed me but I thought maybe someday they might do something worth listening to.
However Like Sheep..is not really it....nor is it a total wash.
I find this new cd to be at least bearable and worth a mention to someone looking for something new.
Crisis ive noticed have a microcosmic fan base that very loyally sing their praises.
This I dont get either but hey one mans mountain is anothers molehill...I guess.
Like Sheep ebbs better than it flows for instance what the hell is that little yelp scream thing she does?!?!
I find that to be annoying and worse FORCED!!
Which is why I am so turned off by DeathShead she does it on practically every song at great lengths not to mention the whole scream sing thing is too much for her even on this new release you can tell she struggles with it.
Ok so why then doesnt she choose a style of singing that best suits her?!?!
Otep have Crisis beat in that department.
I mean Otep...Crisis basically the same concept with the exception that Otep can handle the varied vocal styles without one damn hitch!
I would at least like to see Crisis live cause I dont know there are some bands out there who for some reason do not record well but live they are like gifted masters from below.
Give Crisis a shot maybe theyre your thing.Who knows.