Crowbar is an American sludge metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1990. The band is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, Crowbar's sole constant member. Through infusing a slow, low-keyed, brooding doom metal sound with the aggression of hardcore punk, they pioneered a style known as sludge metal – albeit Windstein admitted a mild dislike to the term – alongside other bands of the New Orleans heavy metal scene such as Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Acid Bath, and Down.
Crowbar at Full Force 2019
Crowbar performing in 2015
Kirk Windstein holds a doll presented by a fan during the show in Saint Petersburg
Kirk Windstein
Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.
The Melvins were one of the earliest and most influential sludge metal bands
The B-side of Black Flag's My War (1984) featured some of the earliest sludge metal tracks
Eyehategod are one of the defining bands in the New Orleans sludge metal scene