MOON TOOTH – Crux (Album Review)

Alright, so this Prog Rock/Heavy Metal band out of Long Island, New York is something special.

John Carbone has one of those voices that you can instantly recognize as soon as you walk into a room and hear one of their heavy tracks playing. If you can jam to catchy melodic riffs. Wicked bass lines. And the seamless transition from a soulful voice to a heavy deep scream. All in the title track, then you will love this album.

Moon Tooth‘s second studio album landed on the Rolling Stone top 50 best albums of 2019, and I have spent the last 2 weeks to it, obsessing over their hit “Awe At All Angles“.

We are going to be looking at some of the tracks from the band’s second studio album released in 2019, Crux.

Trust

The first track on the album hits hard with a heavy opening riff from Nick Lees and some intense crash use from Ray Marte clearly holding nothing back. John Carbone outstanding comes in and provides the distinct Moon Tooth sound. Nick Lee starts this album off with an incredible solo just complimented with a nice bass breakdown from Vin Romanelli providing a solid heavy sound you will come to expect on the following tracks.

Through Ash

The third track on the album comes in with a simple bass line from Vin Romanelli and a catchy groove from Marte. This tune has a softer vibe, but it still makes me want to turn up the volume. John Carbone said in a video posted on the band’s YouTube page that he does a lot of his writing in the woods. He said “the woods and a person’s mind have a lot of similarities in that they are both one of the quietest places with the most sounds happening” you can truly hear the need to create and help people grow. You can see that inspiration in everything from their videos to their artwork. That is an artist I can respect. With this heavy modern-day ballad thrown in, you can hear the heavy influence of Metallica, Pantera, and Slayer on this whole album.

Awe at all angles

This is one of those tracks that can stay on repeat all day long. The opening riff of this one is an instant classic. Nick Lee shreds this tune coupled with a fun music video. Seriously, go check it out. You will especially love it if you have anything against the Metal zone mT-2. This is the 9th song on the album. While I would recommend listening to every track, I would have to call this one my favourite of the album.

Overall

Crux is easily one of the best albums from 2019 and I can’t wait to see what these guys have in store next. These guys deserve way more recognition with an impressive and distinct sound that should last the test of time. Sounding like all the best parts of Tool mixed with Pantera all rolled into one catchy tune after another. You can also check out their first album Chromaparagon released in 2016. If you enjoy an acoustic set, go find the Violent Grief Sessions which provides some unreal live versions of the songs mentioned above.

These show the incredible range of Carbone and allows Vin Romanelli to show off some of his impressive bass skills in a more personal setting.

Moon Tooth has three upcoming shows if you want to hear more from this Long Islander Prog Metal Band you can check them out live at:

August 05: Space Ballroom Hamden, CT

August 06: Sammy’s Patio Revere, MA

August 07-SOLD OUT: Amity Music Hall Amityville, NY

BUY: BANDCAMP

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Also, find more of my CGCM reviews here: Ryan Anthony

Ryan Anthony