Wisconsin’s industrial death metallers CRAWL dropped a new lyric video for the song ‘No Way Out’, taken from the album with the same name released on June 27th via THC: Music/Virgin Music Group.
Pioneering Midwestern Industrial-Metal act CRAWL initially formed in 1989 in Green Bay, WI, under their original moniker, Nothing Sacred. They recorded several well-received demos, before changing their name to BLEED. The band released its seminal EP Womb in 1993, marking a violent stylistic shift for the band, moving heavily into the realm of Industrial-Death Metal.
Showcasing bombastic drum machines coupled with grotesque samples, synthetic bass, ferociously growled vocals, and an ultra-modern down-tuned progressive thrash sensibility, making the band an immediate standout in the Glam/Grunge era of the early 90’s. Bleed quickly became a major draw throughout the Midwest, performing multiple times at the legendary Milwaukee Metal Fest, and becoming the go-to opening act for major Death and Industrial acts coming through Wisconsin, sharing stages with the likes of Godflesh, Entombed, Malevolent Creation, Grave, and many more.
After signing to Olympic Records in 1994, the band changed their name to CRAWL, unleashing the classic LP Earth, showcasing a brutal industrial edge, married with innovative tunings and time signatures. CRAWL quickly found a niche in the burgeoning Industrial-Alt-Metal scene, with the rise of bands like Godflesh, Entombed, Prong, Pitchshifter, and Fear Factory, receiving glowing reviews from top Metal mags like Metal Maniacs. Crawl would follow-up Earth with Construct, Destroy, Rebuild, their first and only release without Danz, who exited the band at the end of the Earth cycle. Featuring several songs co-written with Danz prior to his departure, DeJardin assumed lead vocal duties for Construct, Destroy, Rebuild, and the corresponding touring, showcasing a more stripped-down, hardcore approach to the band’s sound, reflective of the burgeoning underground post-hardcore and nu-metal scenes rapidly developing at the time.
CRAWL stayed active for the better part of 2 years supporting the album, including several dates on the ‘97 Vans Warped Tour with Blink 182, Limp Bizkit, Social Distortion, and tons more, as well as tours alongside Acumen Nation, 20 Dead Flower Children, and more. After a successful run in support of the latest album, the band went on an indefinite hiatus that would last for almost two decades.
In 2018, the band reconnected with fellow Green Bay native and record industry executive Thom Hazaert, president of THC: Music, then managing the relaunched COMBAT RECORDS with former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who would go on to reissue Womb in 2019. The band would reunite with the classic line-up of Danz, DeJardin, Pantzlaff, Kabacinski along with drummer Josh Hovland for a handful of live shows. This included several dates supporting Ellefson and Hazaert and their band ELLEFSON, Taproot, and more.
Now, 35 years out from the band’s formation, CRAWL prepares to unleash their latest Industrial-Metal masterpiece No Way Out. The band’s first studio LP in almost 30 years, in stores June 27th 2025 via THC MUSIC/Virgin Music Group. With a sound that is instantly recognizable to fans of the band and remains true to the band’s groundbreaking Industrial-Metal roots, CRAWL sounds as relevant in 2025, as they did in 1995.
Photo by Victoria Fischer
Aural Aggravation 