Crocodile tears, or the insincere showing of sympathy or deep emotions, is something we see a lot of in this era of sensationalist news, politics, and misinformation, whether it be yet another tragic political event in what the Western world sees as a far-away country or the simple struggles of ordinary people that politicians can’t begin to understand. Featuring members of Pelagic Records’ post-metal group Shy, Low and hardcore band Reap and Sow, Richmond, Viriginia’s Earth Burial are ready to carve their own path with “Crocodile Tears” and their upcoming debut EP.
In what is my first premiere, I’m delighted to share the music video for the debut single below:
With the EP described as ‘a full-on collision of riff fueled chaos and sludge-ridden nightmares, with a heavy dose of influence from bands like Advent, Mare, Meshuggah, and Converge‘, “Crocodile Tears” acts as the perfect introduction to both Earth Burial and their upcoming release. Co-produced and mixed by Greg Thomas and Chris Teti (END, Misery Signals, Shai Hulud, The World Is…), the track is tonally spot-on and hits all the right notes at every moment. Stylistically, they definitely wear their influences on their sleeve but have concocted an exciting blend of post-hardcore and metal influences with atmospheric tendencies and crushing textures.
Starting off with powerful immediacy, “Crocodile Tears” has the band firing on all cylinders from the outset. With lush tones, powerful beats and frantic riffs, Earth Burial channel their anger into a chaotic but coherent whole. Breakneck verses and a more considered chorus lead the song into a climax of pure filth. While most of the vocals have a similar shout to them, they’re given a real balance with the deeper bellows culminating in the calls of ‘no sleep, no solace, only broken dreams’ as the textures are dialed up to their most powerful leading into the outro of the song. The band keep up the atmosphere throughout the song, continually pushing the intensity through each section leading up to the end for a thrilling pay-off.
Equally atmospheric and dark is the accompanying video, with work from director of photography David Muessig, Juan Steck, and editor Drew Storcks. With a black and white colour palette, heavy use of contrast, shadows, flashes, and lens flares, there is an intensity and brooding feeling to match the track to create a great starting point for a band I’m sure we’ll be hearing from plenty more in the future.
To keep up to date with their upcoming debut EP you can find them on Bandcamp and for everything Earth Burial you can also find them on Instagram.
