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Formed a few years back when their respective bands simultaneously imploded on the same bill together, Mark and Jenny Croatan, who insist they are NOT married OR brother and sister (but have never specifically said that they are not married AND brother and sister...) are one of the hardest working bands in the scene right now and are constantly either touring or recording. Their latest MR release, their second on the label, Curse of the Red Queen continues the Croatan theme of pulling the loose threads of many genres into a single furious ball of confusion. Labeled as either punk, metal, hard core or noise rock, they are all those things and more.

The general consensus seems to be that there's something "different" about CotRQ, when compared to their previous stuff... that may be that this recording, that packs 13 songs into just over 38 minutes, has a bit of a tighter feel than on previous offerings -yielding a more "controlled chaos" feel. If anything, that's a testament to a band of two people who play so much together that the most fucked up and discordant music is now second nature to them and have gotten it to a point that it actually rocks as hard as any more "structured" or typical song.

With Divide by Zero, the disc opens with a Kiss Love Gun-style run and quickly breaks into the typical fury of strained strings, furious drumming and searing vocals that is a Croatan trademark... then dissolves into a driving section that shows vocalist/guitar(s)ist Jenny's versatility with a sonic vocal that floats over the pulse. Then it's back to the mayhem. That's what you can expect from this band- to be taken on a ride through genres and styles and moods in each and every song. Another example on this CD is Ale 8 Woman which opens with an infectious syncopated groove that alternates with a heavier version of the riff before heading out on it's own journey... and includes the band showing the right way to use references from such performers as Bob Seeger, Janice Joplin and more. There's a bunch of little gems ripped from classic rock songs in here for you to discover as you listen to the songs roll by... and Jenny provokes everything from smirks to outright guffaws with some of the things she comes out with. Other highlights include great lyrics and titles, such as: Gravity 1, Sisyphus 0 and Rebel from the Waist Down as well as superb playing by both of them that makes it easy to forget that Jenny is filling all the space of two guitars AND a bass player at one time- the same way as she does live- and Mark's awesome use of the double-time drum fill in a half-time groove and inventive tribal rhythms.

It's not hard for bands to get lost in the sea of Man's Ruin releases. But, if you're looking for something that isn't just the latest cookie-cutter stoner band to come down the pike, or don't care if neither of them used to be in Kyuss or Fu Manchu, then maybe you should dig a little deeper into that ever swelling catalog and pull yourself out some Croatan. Then go ahead and get some of their earlier stuff (God Inc.) and see them live when they come your way!

Reviewed by Scott Sanfratello

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