Search - Crown of Thornz :: Mentally Vexed

One of my all time favorite albums. NYHC!!!!

Marc A. Coignard | Denver, CO United States | 10/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Crown of Thornz, in their short time together on this Earth, recorded one of the finest Hardcore albums of the 1990s, right up there with Madball's "Set It Off" and Sick of it All's "Scratch The Surface." Lord Ezec, aka Danny Diablo, who went on to be the front man for Thugcore legends SKARFACE, has his lyrical style perfectly matched with this band, even more so then he was with the Skarface lineup. The songs are mutch catchier, and although the sound isn't quite as sharp, it almost helps the overall vibe of this album as a true recording from New York City street thugs. The range of the lyrics are much more than the "Let's do drugs and kick some ass" attitude that Skarhead had. Although that was appealing for what Skarhead was delivering, COT's appeal is a littlemore universal because of the difference. Important politically and socially motivated songs appear, as well as many more songs that are definately personal projects for the band. Muscially, the band is more superior in this one album than virtually any Hardcore band I've ever heard from any state or any stylye on any album. They stray far from the basic, and very reduntant stule of most hardcore bands. The breakdowns are less predictable than someone like Shutdown (who I think little of) or even Blood for Blood (who I am a huge fan of). The beats and riffs are as catchy, if not more so, than any Sick of it All song, and the vocal range of Ezec on "Mentally Vexed" is even more superior to even Freddy Madball, who I consider to be the finest Hardcore vocalist I've yet to hear. Its a damn shame COT didn't stick around longer, and an even worse shame that their other releases are so hard to find. I consider myself lucky to have found this one stiting in a used CD store in Denver, otherwise who knows if I'd ever get to hear them by now. Mentally Vexed sits atop my list, constantly battling "Scratch the Surface" as my favorite Hardcore album. If you love Hardcore, especially the New York Thug sound, you NEED to add this to your collection as soon as you can find it."