Engineer

Four years after their last release (The Dregs), Engineer's Crooked Voices marks a new stage of intelligence and competence for the Syracuse, NY sludge/hardcore band. Crooked Voices is their most eloquent, versatile and dynamic release to date. They have toned down the heaviness and ferocity, shifting their focus towards more innovative and creative songwriting. Crooked Voices experiments with inventive song structures and arrangements, as well as integrating a heavier emphasis on melody and noise rock elements, making this their most accessible album yet. The band express their newfound versatility by incorporating a number of new aspects, including vocal harmonies, noisier riffs, piano, strings, pedal steel and more. Although this album is significantly tamer in the aggression department, the band still dole out their share of heaviness and intensity while emanating dark and desolate themes and atmospheres. Crooked Voices is a new frontier for Engineer, as they will hopefully embark on progressing and refining their newfound innovation and creativity, bringing them the attention they've long deserved. However, one may question whether their departure from their characterizing brutality and aggression was the right decision, trading off their perfected style for creativity, but also vulnerability.