bigLOVE – Crusaders of Joy (Recommendation)

Words can be deceiving. Depeche Mode knew that, even the Bible. To name a Doom Metal project bigLOVE is, to say the least, mildly misleading.

But is it really?

bigLOVE is the musical love child of Employed to Serve‘s Justine Jones (Vocals) and Sammy Urwin (Guitars) and it is a stylistic departure from the onslaught we know from Employed to Serve. It dwells deep in the realms of Doom Metal. This is not music you do your cardio to.

bigLOVE is Doom Metal with a “tender” touch to it. Beside the slow approach to songs, there are always some underlying melodies. While being Sludge and Doom to the core, the opener “Harnessing the Nectar of the Queen Bee” has this melody underneath which breaks its way in the second half of the song. Another example for that is “A Grand Declaration of the Gods” which has this really almost anthemic, beautiful part around the 7 minute mark.

Another thing I like about this EP are the song titles. It may sound odd, but song titles provoke a certain image in your head before the first notes are heard. It takes you to a mindspace you can put yourself in while listening to this. Keeping this in mind, the band name bigLOVE isn’t so deceiving after all.

Crusaders of Joy is another case of a side-project being more than just a project. bigLOVE doesn’t sound like a b-side-collection of their main-band. If you are unsure about whether this is your jam or not, listen to the song “At One With“. Everything that is great about this band is encapsulated here: melodies, ferocity and the groove that flattens everything standing in its way.