The recent self-titled release by CrashPalace could have been a fitting soundtrack for the ‘60s mental asylum drama “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
The album is a blunt, realistic look into the mental struggle people endure in their lives as they cope with everyday challenges that can almost lead them to the point of insanity.
This Australian-born band, consisting of lead vocalist/guitarist Marcus Maloney, lead guitarist Jeremy Taylor, bassist John Kelly, keyboardist Dean Thomas and drummer Pete Constantinou, take the listener on a psychedelic trip into the mental landscape.
Maloney wrote the majority of the songs with contributions from his bandmates.
It appears that he must have gone through some deeply troubled childhood experiences to convert such haunting and somber words onto paper.
If listeners close their eyes and listen to Maloney’s voice, they will notice a striking similarity to the raspy, nasal howl of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher. Yet Maloney’s blend of sensual and pleading tones make his voice more tolerable.
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Moreover, CrashPalace seems to delve more into the soul of a person than Oasis does. Songs such as “Whatever Gets You Through,” with its passionate, yet mysterious lines: “I lie cheat and steal to survive it keeps me alive/Hold onto the secrets I hide, I keep them inside, they keep me alive,” depict the extremities one can go through in their mind and the dire need to escape from the world at all costs. The fast-paced guitar riffs strumming in the background play like a heartbeat out of control.
Although the guitar riffs can become too repetitive in the majority of the songs, the domination of Maloney’s vocal desperation seeps into the listener’s ears, luring one in to their songs almost to the point of exhaustion. Just listening to the closing song on the album, “Terra Firma,” transports the listener to another galaxy. For example, the lines ‘I can’t find my world today/ And I can’t find a better way/Lift me where I cannot see,’ could easily find its way onto the “X-Files” television show soundtrack with drum loops and dreary keyboard tones.
This group has the potential and talent to break into the musical mainstream with their introspective exploration into the human mind. The album will leave the listener either in a daze of confusion, or completely transformed.
But someone needs to tell Maloney to lighten up on his lyrics — because life isn’t all that bad.
