Written by Mike Gallagher
Toronto’s Crystal Castles hope to deliver on the momentum gained over the course of their first two eponymously titled albums on III, released November 13th. Their rise, while not meteoric, gained steam with a cover of Platinum Blonde’s “Not in Love” re-released featuring some star power courtesy of vocals provided by The Cure’s Robert Smith.
The transition from I to II saw them refine their sonic terrorism to deliver one of 2010’s most memorable platters. All eyes are on them to deliver and III continues the trajectory.
Recorded in Warsaw, III opens with “Plague”, a slow eerie builder that explodes when Glass begins her indecipherable wailing. III is a cohesive sonic affair recalling their live show, minus the stage diving of course. “Wrath of God”, “Kerosene” and “Affection” are sure to be future CC live classics.
The sonic terrorism is still there, contributed both by vocalist Alice Glass and producer Ethan Kath, albeit in a slightly muted fashion in comparison to previous releases. The track titles themselves remain bleak but this album really begs to be cranked up loud to dance to or just let out one’s frustrations.
If the patients in American Horror Story: Asylum we’re allowed to throw a dance party, this would be the soundtrack. Likewise, Glass is Sister Mary Eunice – at times cooing sweetly before giving into her possessed wails.
Much like II, the final track is the stunner here. “Child I Will Hurt You”, amazing title aside, is like nothing they’ve done before, yet couldn’t be done by anyone else. It possesses an emotional intensity that grips and is hard to shake off.
Maturity is not the word to be thrown around here, but clearly Crystal Castles are growing up, fighting every step of the way and making our ears and feet all the happier for it.
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