Crowbar

Crowbar is a sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, formed in 1989 and long fronted by guitarist and vocalist Kirk Windstein. The band is one of the pillars of the New Orleans sludge scene alongside acts like Eyehog and Down, in which Windstein has also played, and helped define the genre's downtuned, dirge-like sound.

Crowbar's music is built on massive, slowed-down riffs, a crushing low end and Windstein's gruff, emotionally raw vocals, occasionally punctuated by faster hardcore-punk-influenced passages. Rather than relying on technical flash, the band leans on repetition, groove and sheer weight, creating an atmosphere often described as bleak and cathartic, with lyrics frequently touching on struggle, pain and perseverance.

Over a long and consistent career the band has released numerous albums and become a reference point for doom and sludge metal, influencing later generations of heavy bands. Songs such as «Existence Is Punishment» and «Planets Collide» are representative of the band's signature crawl-tempo heaviness, and Crowbar remains closely tied to the broader Louisiana sludge/doom lineage that also produced bands like Eyehategod and Acid Bath.