Crooked X, like a lot of people, have a fondness for early-‘80s
Metallica. But unlike a lot of people, the members of Crooked X are only 14 year olds and part of a major-label band. Hailing from Oklahoma and already the subject of an MTV special, these head-banging youngsters boast a plethora of thrash-heavy riffs on their self-titled debut, but although the album displays a certain skill for recapturing metal’s longhaired ‘80s excesses, it’s ultimately a very derivative listening experience.
Big Metallica Fans
Led by frontman Forrest French, Crooked X seem to have intently studied the guitar stylings, if not the dark attitude, of Kill ‘Em All, Metallica’s 1983 debut. Crooked X has moments, like on “Nightmare” or the finale of “Nail in the Coffin,” where this quartet summon the same hellacious devil-sign fury that Metallica conjured up for “Jump in the Fire” or “Hit the Lights” back in the day. More regularly, though, they exhibit the sort of slick professionalism that put Crooked X on the same level as the hair-metal bands that followed in the footsteps of Metallica, like White Lion or Ratt.Youth Will Be Served
The Crooked X band members’ youth is both a plus and a minus. Frankly, it’s pretty impressive that these guys sound as tight and forceful as they do musically. But their lyrical content betrays their lack of life experience. This is most awkwardly apparent on “Rock N Roll Dream,” which is a very generic expression of rock-star ambition that feels like a pale rewrite of a Poison song – if one can imagine how mediocre a Poison rip-off song would sound like. As a vocalist, French has a lot of enthusiasm and a certain amount of snarling menace, but his voice doesn’t have much definition yet. It’ll be interesting to hear how he develops as a frontman, but at this early stage, he’s more of an imitator than a true presence.Trying a Little Grunge
While most of Crooked X feels rooted in the 1980s, “Death of Me” comes the closest to embracing rock sounds that have emerged since that era. Though still defiantly indebted to metal’s brimstone-and-ashes milieu, the song at least demonstrates that Crooked X have heard grunge bands like Alice in Chains and Creed in order to mix up their approach a little. But even when they shift musical styles, the results are about the same: fun mimicry that has its nostalgic kicks but won’t necessarily convince you that Crooked X are the next great force in rock ‘n’ roll.'Crooked X' - Bottom Line
Crooked X’s greatest strength is its breezy (some might even say cheesy) recreation of air-guitar heroics of the last 30 years. If you don’t take it too seriously, this debut album has its shallow pleasures, and it’s fun to spot the classic bands being referenced in Crooked X’s songs. Give these guys credit for how far they’ve come already in such a short time – and then wait to see if they can do something a little more inspired next time around.Best 'Crooked X' Tracks:
“Time Is Now” (Purchase/Download)“Nightmare” (Purchase/Download)
“Rock N Roll Dream” (Purchase/Download)
“Death of Me” (Purchase/Download)
Release date – January 27, 2009
EMI Records
