Those Damn Crows – God Shaped Hole
Those Damn Crows – God Shaped Hole
Earache Records
Release Date: 11/04/2025
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
There are several reasons that I really do like a bit of Those Damn Crows. Firstly, they are Cymru Bois, hailing from down south, in the valleys! And being a proud Welsh woman, I love to see bands from the Land of our Fathers doing well! Secondly, I’m rather partial to a bit of Rock. And thirdly, I enjoy music that’s well thought out, and complex enough to be interesting, and cut through the noise of modern life, but that also gives your brain a break from overthinking for a while. And that is something which Those Damn Crows have absolutely nailed with the new album, “God Shaped Hole”. Whether it’s the gentle, chocolate cwtch of frontman Shane Greenall’s vocals, or the peaceful expansiveness that is so brilliantly orchestrated into the instrumentation, this album ticks all the boxes for me.
Opening with ‘Dancing With The Enemy’, we instantly get a stadium-worthy track, with an epically singable chorus, memorable riffs, and enough edge in the rhythms and bass line to be Hard Rock, while still taking us on a gentle ride through the wildflower meadows of AOR.
This continues through ‘Glass Heart’, which delivers enough mainstream to keep the charts happy, then shifts into a more ballad-esque ‘Fake’. Although the latter has a grandiose feel about it, with a string section chorus, and a style that reminds me a lot of more recent Devin Townsend (“Empath” era). It’s a great track, which feels very mature.
‘Dreaming’ takes us back, musically, to the schmaltzy mid-90s version of Bryan Adams, which is absolutely my bag – I was a teenager when ‘(Anything I Do) I Do It For You’ broke chart records over and over for its longevity. And I was absolutely in love with Bryan Adams, and Kevin Costner, following his portrayal of Robin Hood in the Hollywood Blockbuster “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves” which used the Bryan Adams classic as its title song. Times were simpler then, so anything that takes me back there, ever for just a brief few minutes, is absolutely fair game for me!
Just in case we were getting a bit too much ‘women of a certain age’ by this point, ‘Let’s Go Psycho’ and ‘No Surrender’ come along to remind us that we are, in fact, listening to some Hard Rock, and the 90s was a hella long time ago now! ‘Let’s go Psycho has got a great central hook, and ‘No Surrender’ a catchy chorus line, both of which will have you banging your head and moving about.
One thing that’s completely unwavering throughout this record is the maturity of the vocals, which are still beautifully rich and silky, even in the more high-octane tracks. Those who know me will know I’m very much about the vocals in tracks, as that’s where most of my experience lies. And you often find that vocalists are either great at the heavier, more raw stuff, but less so at the ballads, or they’re masters of the ballad but their voice gets lost when anything’s taken up a bit. However, Shane can do both with ease, which pleases me immensely, and irritates me greatly, because being that naturally talented just isn’t fair! If you listen to ‘No Surrender’ and then go straight into ‘The Night Train’ you’ll see exactly what I mean here. This latter track is incidentally my second favourite song of the album too. It’s blissful songwriting, beautiful instrumentation, and perfect execution by every musician. Simples.
There’s something really uplifting about this whole album, too. It’s like absolute clarity – breathing the freshest of air with every track, regardless of its theme or nature. That’s an achievement in itself – to create an album that doesn’t have a single duff track. The pacier numbers have enough to keep you moving, the slower tracks have passion and gentle tenderness, and it’s all capped off with brilliant production to complement each musician’s input.
The final track on the album, on the face of it, is a very pretty-sounding acoustic ballad. But dig deeper by looking at the lyrics, and it turns into an absolutely heart-wrenching, tear-jerking piece of poetic genius. It really touched me, and shows such a mature understanding of human emotion that it’s going to be a track I revisit many, many times over. My favourite track by a mile. And this lyrical prowess is actually true for the rest of the album. Trust me, look at the lyrics, and it changes everything you thought you knew about the songs on show here.
If you can get past the ‘but it’s too mainstream’ gatekeepers that affect our conscious thought too often in our subculture, and really listen to this album, you will appreciate just how spectacular and complete this album is. I would put money on you not hearing a more well-rounded album than this in 2025.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Dancing With The Enemy
02. Glass Heart
03. Fake
04. Dreaming
05. Let’s Go Psycho!
06. No Surrender
07. The Night Train
08. Turn It Around
09. Spit & Choke
10. Still
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
