Album Review: The Crawling – Live In Belfast MMXXIV (Grindscene Records)

Northern Ireland’s death/doom merchants, The Crawling, will release a live album titled Live In Belfast MMXXIV on the 23rd of January via Grindscene Records.

Formed in 2014 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, The Crawling deliver a suffocating strain of death-doom metal; slow, heavy, and consumed by despair. Guttural vocals and crushing rhythms define a sound that is bleak, deliberate, and brutally honest. After early releases Choking on Concrete (2015) and In Light of Dark Days, the band broke through with debut album Anatomy of Loss (2017). Wolves and the Hideous White (2019) deepened the emotional weight, while 2024’s All of This for Nothing examined humanity’s futile search for meaning in the face of extinction. With appearances at Inferno Metal Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Metal Days, and Incineration Fest, plus tours with Winterfylleth, Gaerea, Shore of Null, and Carcass, The Crawling have built a formidable live reputation.

In November 2024, The Crawling recorded a devastating hometown set at Limelight 2 in Belfast, now set for release as Live in Belfast MMXXIV, capturing the band at their rawest and heaviest.

Speaking about the new album, guitarist and vocalist Andy Clarke states:

“Like most bands, the goal is to play live, and when you can’t reach everyone, the next best thing is to capture that energy. Live is where it all connects; the emotion, the sound, the experience. That night in Belfast brought it all together, a packed home crowd, the recording, the filming, everything. It’s our way of saying thanks to those who’ve supported us from day one, and of introducing ourselves to anyone new. To finally release a live album is a lifelong dream. And honestly, live albums are just fucking cool.”

It’s very different, and sometimes difficult, to write a review for a live album. What can I tell you about the band, or songs, that you don’t already know? Live albums more than studio albums are more likely to be picked up by those who are already fans of a band so you know The Crawling, you know the songs and you know the style. So, with a live album, we often end up having to address things that are more around the production, the setlist, the feel and the most important question, did The Crawling manage to capture the essence of a live show here on Live In Belfast MMXXIV?

The answer to that question is yes, absolutely. I should continue by just quickly pointing out that I wasn’t at this show, though having listened to Live In Belfast MMXXIV a few times now, I kind of feel like I was. The Crawling promised a live album with no overdubbing and no corrections. It is designed to be an honest and authentic capture of a The Crawling show, and that comes through wonderfully across the album. Hearing the crowd’s excitement bubbling as the intro song starts, the cheers for the band and the opening resonating power of March of the Worm – it’s special.

You can close your eyes and transport yourself to the venue. You can almost smell the sweat, and taste the beer as the drums of Ant Deane, the bass of Adrien Crozet, the guitars of Andy Clarke rip into you. The vocals sound immense and, obviously with this juts being a direct and authentic recording of The Crawling, it really shows just how immense these guys are live. Being a headline set, you get 11 tracks, including intro and outro, to get stuck in to on Live In Belfast MMXXIV that delve into the whole of The Crawling’s catalogue.

That gives a bit of a feeling of a celebration of the band, even within the gloom and heaviness of their music. Some of my personal favourites are on here too with Thy Nazarene, The Right to Crawl and Wolves and the Hideous White all sounding supreme. Andy Clarke isn’t one for massive speeches and crowd interaction but the bits that are there between tracks also add to the vibe and capture of the spirit of the show. The band also play into the encore game, ending after Wolves but returning to play out Rancid Harmony which is as close as you can get in the underground of a genre like this to having a hit.

Overall Live In Belfast MMXXIV is just a really enjoyable listen that perfectly captures the essence and spirit of a live performance from a hard working and talented group. If you were there, you will want to pick this up and relive those memories. If you weren’t, you will want to pick this up to experience and a wonderful live performance, exercise your right to crawl and feel like you were there.

Preorder Live In Belfast MMXXIV from The Crawling at this link.

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. March of the Worm
3. Sparrow
4. Thy Nazarene
5. The Right to Crawl
6. Another Vulture
7. An Immaculate Deception
8. Bound to the Negative
9. Wolves and the Hideous White
10. Rancid Harmony
11. Outro

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