36 Crayzfists have definitely experienced their fair share of anguish in the past few years. First their label at the time, Roadrunner Records, passed on releasing their last album "Rest Inside The Flames" in North America. The band eventually aligned themselves with DRT Entertainment to issue the effort, only to see the label fold soon after. Starting fresh with "The Tide And Its Takers" - the groups first album for their latest label, Ferret Music, the band pick up essentially where they left off.

While the success they've found in Europe continues to elude them back home, these Alaskan/Oregon natives have yet to cater to the current North American trends to break through. Instead, they admirably continue on with their rather unique blend of sprawling melodic vocals and hearty screams overtop of aggressive melodic screamo ala Thrice and the like. Still, while flush with heartfelt emotion and the ever-animated vocal meanderings of band frontman Brock Lindow, the group surge forth through relatively familiar territory.

Sans the thematic effects of distance explored through the point/counter point spoken word in "Only A Year Or So..." and the acoustic title track, the band stick to their well-worn guns. This will surely please diehard fans but won't exactly win them new audiences and thus, there is a somewhat stagnant feel to "The Tide And Its Takers" as a whole. Basically, the band remain unique amongst their peers but all too familiar against their own back catalogue.