{"id":1856,"date":"2011-02-15T00:00:06","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T00:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=1856"},"modified":"2013-07-20T12:07:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-20T12:07:00","slug":"feature-crowbar-02-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-crowbar-02-11\/","title":{"rendered":"CROWBAR – The Wicked Hand Severed (February 2011) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

CROWBAR – The Wicked Hand Severed<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nFebruary 2011<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Crowbar (l-r): Pat Bruders, Kirk Windstein, Matthew Brunson and Tommy
Buckley<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

By the time the third studio full-length from North American supergroup Down \u2013 Down III: Over The Under<\/em> \u2013 underwent issue in September 2007, guitarist Kirk Windstein\u2019s other outfit Crowbar had last released material in February 2005. That studio outing was titled Lifesblood For The Downtrodden<\/em>, and was the New Orleans, Louisiana sludge metal veteran\u2019s eighth in all. 2007 rolled into 2008, 2008 rolled into 2009, and 2009 subsequently into 2010. Doubts regarding Crowbar\u2019s future naturally surfaced as a result, but the issue of ninth studio record Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em> has laid such doubts to rest. \u201cThe songwriting process started in late \u201905, early 2006, which was about the time I was beginning to get busy with Down, so I laid it to rest for awhile,\u201d Kirk Windstein confirms, founder, guitarist and vocalist for Crowbar. \u201cI\u2019d write some riffs here and there when I had a break from Down\u2019s very busy schedule, but at the beginning of 2010 I started putting together everything. Down was pretty slow last year, and I had the time to get things together. We landed a good deal for Crowbar for the new record, and it needed to be an important record so I put together a lot of stuff in the first half of 2010, and then really the rest of it just came to me in the month of August 2010. I guess I finished up maybe half of it \u2013 six to seven songs were written in that one month, and ended up being the strongest songs on the record. The writing process was a little different; normally, we\u2019d come off tour, we\u2019d start writing, and then the songs would be written and we\u2019d book time in the studio and record the songs. It was different on this though, but it just so happened that everything worked out well obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n

E1 Music is overseeing Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>\u2019s North American issue, while Century Media Records is supervising its European release. \u201cReally, my management which is Steve Ross \u2013 who also manages Hatebreed \u2013 and Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed had been speaking to the guys from E1, and said \u2018Look, I think we can get you a really good deal on a great label\u2019,\u201d the guitarist explains. \u201cE1 is basically a major label in the States; they have Black Label Society and High On Fire, and they have a bunch of different styles of music that really, really sell some records, like r\u2019n\u2019b and hip-hop, and just different things. It\u2019s a payment label, and not just heavy metal or what not. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey landed a good deal for us though, and fortunately for us E1 have been great with everything as well as Century Media. We didn\u2019t sign with Century Media \u2013 I believe the album is licensed directly from E1 to Century Media for the UK, all of mainland Europe and what not. Really, I\u2019ve been impressed by both Century Media and E1; everybody at both labels have done a fantastic job, so we\u2019re very happy and pleased to be in the position we\u2019re in. I think we\u2019re in a really good spot, because it\u2019s the first time in the history of Crowbar we\u2019ve ever been signed to two labels, two labels who basically these days would be considered major labels. We\u2019ve always had very small independent labels, so this is much, much better for us. It\u2019s a new opportunity to get this done properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

As previously stated, Lifesblood For The Downtrodden<\/em> was released in February 2005 \u2013 on the 8th to be exact, precisely the same date on which Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em> was released six years later. \u201cI think it\u2019s the most important \u2013 other than our first release \u2013 simply because we\u2019ve been away,\u201d Kirk acknowledges. \u201cIt\u2019s been six years since we had a record out, and a lot has happened in the music industry. A lot has also happened with me personally, with the resurgence of Down, Down becoming a full-time project for several years and obviously touring extensively around the world, doing big tours and a lot of festivals and what not. That has brought a lot of attention to Down which in turn has brought a lot of attention to me and then to Crowbar. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow there\u2019s such a big interest in Crowbar that\u2019s never been there before, and that\u2019s why I think this album is so important. There\u2019s so many bands that are out there now that are successful bands who are passingly mentioning Crowbar as a big influence, and it\u2019s really brought attention to the name Crowbar. I think it\u2019s perfect timing for us, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s such an important record for us. It\u2019s now or never, but so far, so good. It seems like things have gone really well, and the hype for the record, the reviews, the response to the record… Everything has been fantastic. We were really nervous going in, thinking \u2018Wow, this is it.\u2019 It\u2019s do or die; either people are gonna accept us, this record\u2019s gonna be great and we\u2019re gonna finally get this to the next level after 20 years, or no-one\u2019s gonna know who the hell we are and it\u2019s gonna fail miserably, and that\u2019s gonna be it for Crowbar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Kirk Windstein<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Pic: Matt Trobly<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Consisting of Pantera members Phil Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) as well as Corrosion Of Conformity\u2019s Pepper Keenan (guitars) and erstwhile Crowbar drummer Jimmy Bower, Down has occupied much of Kirk\u2019s time in the last five years or so. With that being said, is Down still his main focus? \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say,\u201d the Crowbar founder replies. \u201cYesterday I had a Down rehearsal, where today is a Crowbar business day. I think I\u2019m in a position right now with Down, with Crowbar, with Kingdom Of Sorrow \u2013 with all three bands \u2013 where from time to time each one of the three is gonna stand out as the priority band, depending on what\u2019s going on right now. I\u2019m working very heavily with Down and with Crowbar because we have some Down shows coming up, and we\u2019re also writing at the same time. I\u2019m doing tons of interviews and press and what not to promote, so it\u2019s really a situation for me where I think all three bands are particularly important \u2013 it just depends. Whatever band is busy at that time is my main band. We\u2019ve all decided with Down to do other projects; for Jimmy to be able to do as much as he wants with Eyehategod, for me to do Crowbar and Kingdom Of Sorrow, and for Philip to do Arson Anthem and his Housecore label. They\u2019re all priorities now.\u201d<\/p>\n

If lightning strikes again so to speak then Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>\u2019s successor will see daylight in 2017, though luckily the frontman doesn\u2019t feel this will be the case. \u201cI\u2019d like to say never, but never again that long I would say,\u201d laughs Kirk. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna tour as much as we can, and yeah, I think that we can get another one out hopefully fairly soon. I want to consistently be involved with all three bands, and I think Crowbar right now is as important as the other ones. I don\u2019t see any reason why it should take this long for us to be able to get another Crowbar record out, so it shouldn\u2019t take long at all really. I don\u2019t want to say next year necessarily, but maybe late 2012, and if not then early 2013. I don\u2019t want to rush it with Crowbar though because I\u2019ve come this far and it\u2019s been this long, so I don\u2019t need to rush it. With that being said though, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s gonna take that long, not like this one did (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

During August 2010 in the midst of recording Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>, Kirk decided to become completely sober of alcohol and drugs. \u201cLet\u2019s put it this way: to be quite honest and blunt with you, it had gotten to the point where I was physically addicted to alcohol,\u201d the vocalist confesses. \u201cI used to have a very bad cocaine problem, but fortunately that problem had pretty much disappeared over the previous year leading up to alcohol becoming a problem. I was addicted to alcohol in the sense that I was drinking every day, and I physically needed a drink when I woke up in the morning. I would put it off as long as I could. I\u2019d have a couple of drinks in the morning and then go back to sleep, and then wake up and try to pace myself so I could perform at night or be somewhat productive during that part of the day. One day the light bulb went off though, and I said \u2018What the fuck am I doing? This is ridiculous; I\u2019ve literally become a slave to alcohol.\u2019 That\u2019s not what it\u2019s there for \u2013 it\u2019s there to enjoy. I love the taste of beer and I\u2019ll always love the taste of beer, but it\u2019s there to enjoy. It\u2019s not there to be abused and become addicted to, so for me it was a simple choice. My life is so much better than it was six months ago. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith that said, I always say in interviews that I\u2019m not the poster-boy for sobriety; I don\u2019t go to AA meetings, and I don\u2019t necessarily follow the rules that they set out. I do drink non-alcoholic beers, and I like \u2019em. I\u2019m a beer drinker; I love the taste of beer, and I\u2019m always gonna wanna drink. I just take one day at a time. I\u2019ll never say that I\u2019m never gonna drink again. The only promise I make to my bandmates and to my family is that they will never see me onstage drunk again or conducting business while I\u2019m inebriated, or doing anything like that again. I\u2019ve learned a lot; I\u2019ve learned more in the last six months than I probably have in the last 20 years about drugs and alcohol. I\u2019ve learned \u2013 just like so many others \u2013 that some people can be productive, but there\u2019s only one Lemmy. I think I, like so many other people, tried to emulate one of my idols. Lemmy\u2019s obviously one of my big idols, and I wanted to be that way. I wanted to be able to drink all day; I wanted to be able to just live the rock\u2019n\u2019roll lifestyle 24\/7, but he\u2019s the only person that can do it \u2013 maybe him and Keith Richards (laughs). You either quit, you get your shit together, you really settle down, and you get it under control or you die. It was a pretty simple decision to me honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drug and alcohol issues have plagued the 45-year-old musician \u201cpretty much\u201d his entire adult life. \u201cAs a late teen, it wasn\u2019t really a problem,\u201d Kirk notes. \u201cIn my mid-20s it started to become a problem, so I\u2019d say about the last 20 years I\u2019ve had an alcohol problem. Cocaine didn\u2019t really come into play until I was around 30 I\u2019d say basically; I\u2019d done cocaine a few times in my life but around aged 30 I began to use cocaine every weekend, and then a couple of times a week, and then up to the point where I was using constantly. If it was available, I was using every day. It\u2019s obviously not healthy. There\u2019s nothing good about it, ya\u2019 know?\u201d<\/p>\n

As is the case with all addicts, Kirk\u2019s relationships with friends and family members have been affected, and he has paid the price for his addictions. \u201cYeah I have,\u201d the guitarist admits. \u201cAt the same time though I have very supportive family and friends. I\u2019ve had a few relationships that were really ruined by it \u2013 I\u2019ll say that \u2013 but everything happens for a reason and if you live you learn, and I have definitely learned. I\u2019m very happy. To be honest with you I wouldn\u2019t change a thing because if I changed things I wouldn\u2019t be the man I am today, and right now I\u2019m happy with the man I am today, the man that I\u2019ve grown into, and the father that I am, and the musician that I am. There\u2019ve been a lot of dark periods with these struggles, but if you do survive it\u2019ll make you into a stronger, better person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Crowbar (l-r): Matthew Brunson, Tommy Buckley, Kirk Windstein and Pat
Bruders<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Though the New Orleans native still drinks beer and will always \u201clove the taste\u201d of it, he doesn\u2019t view cocaine in the same affectionate manner. \u201cCocaine is one thing I\u2019ll never do again; I don\u2019t enjoy it, and I haven\u2019t enjoyed it for a long time,\u201d Kirk states matter-of-factly. \u201cIt costs so much money and it\u2019s so dangerous, especially as you get older. Your heart and your body makes you consume massive amounts of alcohol to try to come down off of the fucking drug, so as far as cocaine, I absolutely despise it. Like I said, I\u2019m six months sober where alcohol is concerned. I\u2019m not trying to jinx myself by saying \u2018Wow, I\u2019ve won. I\u2019ve beat alcohol.\u2019 A lot of people who quit go back to it. I take it one day at a time, and I wanna make sure I know as much as I can about it and hope that I can control it if I ever decide to try it again, because it\u2019s very difficult. I\u2019ve said this in previous interviews, but it\u2019s a very simple fact: quitting cocaine is the easiest thing I\u2019ve ever done. All you do is you delete the drug dealers\u2019 phone numbers and quit hanging out with people who use, and quit hanging out in bar rooms and pubs and what not where you know you can buy it. Just quit it. I literally said \u2018Enough is enough\u2019 with cocaine; I started deleting drug dealers\u2019 numbers from my phone, I quit hanging out in bars and pubs where I know I can buy it at, and I don\u2019t even think about it. It\u2019s easy. Trying to quit beer is very difficult; it\u2019s socially acceptable, it\u2019s legal, it\u2019s plentiful and it\u2019s expected. You go out for a few pints with the guys if you watch football and that\u2019s just the way it is, so it\u2019s difficult. I just take it one day at a time though. I just feel that every day that goes by where I don\u2019t drink, I\u2019ve won something.\u201d<\/p>\n

An addict deleting the telephone numbers of their drug dealers as well as staying away from the company of fellow addicts could be construed as severing the \u201cwicked hand.\u201d \u201c\u2018Sever the wicked hand\u2019 is just a metaphor for anything negative in your life, whether it\u2019s drugs and alcohol, whether it\u2019s hanging out with a bad crowd, whether it\u2019s a bad relationship or whatever it might be,\u201d the frontman reveals. \u201cIt\u2019s really a metaphor for that. If it\u2019s a food addiction, if it\u2019s a dead-end job that\u2019s just dragging you down and depressing you… Whatever\u2019s negative in your life man, fucking sever your ties with that; cut it off, cut away all those people and cut away all those substances or whatever it is, and move into a positive direction with the rest of your life. There\u2019s something better out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>\u2019s recording process marks the first occasion the Crowbar leader has cut his vocals in a sober state. \u201cAs far as riffs, writing and recording the guitar parts and whatever, I\u2019ve always done that sober,\u201d Kirk clarifies. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever sang sober though. I was a bit intimidated at first and it was definitely scary, but once I found out that I can not only do it but do it better sober, I really embraced it. As far as singing sober, it really brought out a different depth in my vocals \u2013 it brought out a different emotion. My emotions weren\u2019t masked by alcohol; they were true emotions, and it took a little bit to tap into them. Once I tapped into them though, it really did bring out the best in me vocally. I\u2019m not a great singer by any means, but I think the best vocals I\u2019ve ever done are on Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>. It was a very cool experience to do that sober and find that I enjoy doing it sober. It was very cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for the first time in many years, a sober Kirk is handling live commitments. \u201cThere were worries in the beginning because I hadn\u2019t done it since I was a young teenager,\u201d the vocalist confides. \u201cI was very nervous in the beginning, but wow, it feels so comfortable. It feels so great to know that I am on top of my game; I know that I\u2019m playing the best I can play and I know that I\u2019m singing the best I can sing. I\u2019m not gonna get up there and give less than a 100%, playing or singing. It\u2019s a very good feeling to not think \u2018Oh jeez, I hope I didn\u2019t drink too much before the show. I hope I don\u2019t fuck up.\u2019 That\u2019s a scary feeling. You\u2019re cheating yourself, but more importantly you\u2019re cheating the audience. You\u2019re cheating people who\u2019ve paid their hard-earned money to come and see you if you get up there and you\u2019re less than a 100% because you decided to drink before the show and onstage, and maybe you\u2019re not playing to the best of your ability. You\u2019re cheating yourself, you\u2019re cheating the audience and it\u2019s just not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though six years separate Lifesblood For The Downtrodden<\/em> and Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em>, the band\u2019s captain views the latter as \u201ca natural progression.\u201d \u201cI say all the records are a natural progression of where we left off, but I think the most important thing was in hindsight it seems like it was a really good thing that we did take a long time,\u201d Kirk maintains. \u201cThat we did step away from Crowbar, and that I did personally step away from Crowbar. It\u2019s just lit a fire that maybe started to fade a little bit and got me super-excited about Crowbar again as a songwriter. As this record has been made and is now complete, when I listen to it I think it\u2019s the most complete body of work I\u2019ve ever done with Crowbar because it touches on all the elements that make up the Crowbar sound. It\u2019s got everything that was ever touched upon on any of the previous eight records \u2013 all of that is present on this album in one way or another. I think this is the most complete record we\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

As has been the case since September 1991 debut full-length Obedience Thru Suffering<\/em> (Pavement Music), doom metal merchants and hardcore outfits inform Crowbar\u2019s sound. \u201cTo be honest, Crowbar are influenced by all of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands and influenced by Black Sabbath<\/a>,\u201d the guitarist affirms. \u201cAnd we\u2019re influenced by American doom bands that took a lot from Sabbath as well such as Saint Vitus and Trouble and Pentagram and bands like that, by The Melvins, by Carnivore, and by a lot of the very New York hardcore stuff like Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags and bands like that. I can honestly say that the last record that had an influence on Crowbar as far as our sound is probably Type O Negative\u2019s Slow, Deep And Hard<\/em> (June 1991, Roadrunner Records), their first record. Right around the time that record came out, we were recording Obedience Thru Suffering<\/em> \u2013 our first record \u2013 and they were my favourite band at the time. Since Obedience Thru Suffering<\/em> came out 20 years ago, there hasn\u2019t been any other band that has really influenced the sound of Crowbar once the sound of Crowbar was created. What we\u2019ve always done is refine it and fine-tune it over the last 20 years, so I\u2019m really still heavily influenced by all the older stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about Slow, Deep And Hard<\/em> influenced Crowbar, Kirk? \u201cRight before that, the previous stuff that Peter Steele did was the Carnivore stuff. Carnivore\u2019s Retaliation record came out in 1987 and that record heavily, heavily influenced me, and then when Type O Negative came about Phil Anselmo had gotten a demo of it through Kerry King (Slayer<\/a> guitarist) or someone when I think back \u2013 the demo tape of the full record had leaked out, and that Phil had gotten it from someone. When I had that tape, it was a good bit of time before the record was actually released. It was at that time that Crowbar was being formed, and I just loved everything about it \u2013 it\u2019s so heavy. Back then Type O Negative\u2019s first record was much more aggressive, much more hardcore \u2013 there was still a bit of that. I think Peter Steele was still finding the exact direction he wanted to go with his project with the addition of the keyboards, with the addition of Kenny\u2019s vocals and Kenny\u2019s guitar playing. For me though, that\u2019s always gonna be my favourite Type O record because to me it\u2019s their heaviest one, it\u2019s their most aggressive one and it was written at a time in my life where that record was the most important record in my life. At the time it was out, it really was; it helped me through a lot of relationship problems and different issues and what not. It\u2019s just a very special record to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Type O Negative\u2019s Peter Steele (1962-2010)<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele sadly died of heart failure on April 14th, 2010 at the age of 48. \u201cI was very, very upset,\u201d the Crowbar singer says in reference to Steele\u2019s death. \u201cI was in Germany with Sepultura on my birthday, which is April 14th \u2013 that\u2019s the day Peter Steele died. I didn\u2019t even realise at the time, because we hadn\u2019t yet heard the news. It was my birthday, and here Crowbar was supporting Sepultura. I got up and played \u2018Orgasmatron\u2019 with them for my birthday. I didn\u2019t get particularly drunk; I\u2019d had some drinks with the guys, and I had a great time, and I jammed with Sepultura on a Mot\u00f6rhead song. It was great. I go to bed, and then I get up. Everybody was emailing, texting and calling me in Germany about Peter, and I was crushed, I really was. I knew Peter not very, very well, but I had played shows with him and had had good conversations with him on many occasions, and I knew Johnny and Kenny from Type O very well. It was so upsetting, not just as a friend. I felt for Peter\u2019s family, I really felt for his bandmates, and obviously I felt for him because he\u2019s no longer here. It just really opened my eyes in a lot of ways. I know he wouldn\u2019t have overdosed or anything like that, but from things I\u2019ve heard \u2013 and I don\u2019t want to be misquoted or say anything out of context \u2013 I\u2019m sure that his own struggles with drugs and alcohol probably contributed a lot to his early passing, and that was really a wake-up call for me. That had a lot to do with me saying \u2018You know what? You need to turn your life around. You\u2019ll be 48 soon \u2013 he died on your 45th birthday.\u2019 That was very scary for me. That was actually only four and a half months before I decided it was time for me to get my shit together, so it was a very big wake-up call and a very sad experience. Thankfully, we do have tons of great music that Peter has put out that we can all enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Crowbar\u2019s inactivity in recent years, bass guitarist Pat Bruders (ex-Goatwhore) and drummer Tommy Buckley (Soilent Green) have remained loyal to their leader\u2019s cause. \u201cThat\u2019s honestly the one main thing that has really let me know… We did some touring here and there, doing shows where we could, but obviously I was very, very busy with Down,\u201d Kirk comments. \u201cI just told them \u2018Guys, be patient. There\u2019s gonna come a time when Down are gonna take a little break, and when Crowbar\u2019s gonna be my priority again. We\u2019re gonna make the best record we\u2019ve ever made, and we\u2019re gonna take this thing to the next level.\u2019 Both guys were patient, and I thank them for that very much. It just made us a lot closer as friends and as bandmates. None of us could be happier with the outcome of the new record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMusicianship-wise, this is the best line-up I\u2019ve ever had by far,\u201d the frontman continues. \u201cThere\u2019s always been a great drummer, a Jimmy Bower or Craig Nunenmacher. There\u2019s always been a couple of guys in the band that I thought were really great, but as a complete four-piece band of musicians this is the tightest, best line-up that Crowbar\u2019s ever had, so I couldn\u2019t be happier with the line-up. It\u2019s a great line-up, and it shows live; it shows the musicianship. We\u2019re not a technical band and it\u2019s not hard stuff, but you\u2019ve still gotta know your shit to play and bring your A-game every night. These guys are all just great, and it shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sever The Wicked Hand<\/em> was released on February 8th, 2011 in North America via E1 Music, and on the 14th and 15th in the United Kingdom and Europe respectively through Century Media Records.<\/p>\n

Interview published in February 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CROWBAR – The Wicked Hand Severed Anthony Morgan February 2011 Crowbar (l-r): Pat Bruders, Kirk Windstein, Matthew Brunson and Tommy Buckley By the time the third studio full-length from North American supergroup Down \u2013 Down III: Over The Under \u2013 underwent issue in September 2007, guitarist Kirk Windstein\u2019s other outfit Crowbar had last released material […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crowbar","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1856"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13142,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions\/13142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}