The Fellowship and the dawn of “Thugcrab”

The key moment is 0:30, unison crabcore moshing!

Back in the day (about a year ago?) when Attack Attack! invented crabcore to worldwide critical acclaim, despite having literally turned the genre on it’s head and questioned all the boundaries, with their controvertial “squat moshing”, many a naysayer was quick to suggest that this was merely a “flash in the pan”, and that crabcore was simply a passing fad as it were.

Now I can proudly say that this is not so, and we have a new champion of the genre, The Fellowship. As well as sporting the telltale signs with their amusing squat moshing, executed maybe not as close to the ground as Attack Attack!, and not donning the choice of pros, the “Skinny Jeans”, but still with a young thirst for bending their knees and “getting fucking low”! One can only expect that these younsters have great things in store for them, and I look forward to seeing them getting even closer to the ground in the future.

As well as picking up the torch left by Attack Attack!, The Fellowship have also brought their own twist to the genre, instigating “Thugcrab” (credit to Jav, of Stuff You Will Hate). Doing the same squat moshing style as the former, but adding a more grimey, organised crime vibe to it, as exemplified in the video above.

For some reason, in this video some guy who looks like he may have been in American Head Charge gets all armed up and essentially “does a Columbine” on The Fellowship and their fans. Not quite sure what this is about, something to do with old bands from the Kerrang! of yesturyear reaking bloody retribution on us kids with our rediculous new styles of music and ways to mosh? Is this a warning of what may happen if we continue to squat in music videos so recklessly?

Either they’re in some really fucking dense air that makes the bullet go slow, or they’re playing rediculously fast. Cos something about the speeds here just dosn’t add up. Was also kina wondering if the bassist’s paunch was going to stop the bullet maybe?

However, personal interpretations aside, the important question, is is the crabmoshing done well? Is this the new Attack Attack!?! The best squatter here was the singer, as the others were all either too big or chubby.

Feel like the guitarist is just too tall to really “get” crabcore. Just check his pathetic obtuse leg angle!

If we look at the diagram, we can see that Attack Attack still have a noticable lead, represented by the small red arrow. There is also a much more composed posture on display from them too, note the straight back and shoulders.

However, considering The Fellowship’s youth at their entry to what is, admittedly, one of the more competitive genres of metal or hardcore, I feel that given time the gap (small red arrow) will close. Who knows, are we going to see someone getting even lower? Only time will tell!

Eyelicker