Going beyond “Butterfly,” which of Crazy Town’s deep cuts are the sickest?
Today, the nu-metal world lost an iconic frontman as we learned Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock (born Seth Binzer) has passed away.
READ MORE: Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock Has Died at 49
Though many are likely familiar with the band’s breakout hit “Butterfly,” most of their discography sounds nothing like that. The band’s debut, The Gift of Game, for most of its runtime, is a dyed-in-the-wool nu-metal album. The lead single “Toxic” grooves out with a huge riff, setting them up to be a sure bet for any future inclusion on the Family Values tour.
Of course, Shifty Shellshock’s rapping and singing, and his interplay with Bret “Epic” Mazur, were a huge part of the appeal, as he sounded natural in a sea of other frontmen struggling to put together rhymes.
In his honor, here are five of the sickest deep cuts in the band’s discography.
“Darkside”
The Gift of Game’s third, lesser-known single “Darkside” didn’t receive nearly the attention that “Butterfly” did, let alone “Toxic.” Still, it’s got a lot going for it as an underrated nu-metal classic, featuring a riff written by Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and an earworm keyboard hook from Orgy frontman Jay Gordon. It’s easily one of the most 1999-sounding songs ever, in the best way.
“Hollywood Babylon”
There must have been some contract every nu-metal band signed in the late ’90s that required them to write a song critiquing the music industry. Crazy Town’s “Hollywood Babylon” catalogs their own odyssey through the world of labels courting their attention and never-ending parties. “I’m getting high for a living, not giving a fuck” is a hell of a line to end a verse in any decade.
“Hurt You So Bad”
“Take It to the Bridge”
“Take It to the Bridge” feels like one of the most self-referential nu-metal tracks ever, with the title eliciting Fred Durst’s command to “Take it to the Matthews Bridge” on “My Generation.” Shifty Shellshock raps the line “I’m torn like Korn playing follow the leader” before launching into a braggadocious verse. The song’s got a hell of a bass line that’s hard not to dig, too.
“Battle Cry”
The heaviest song Crazy Town wrote is easily “Battle Cry,” which lets its riff do most of the talking. It’s a massive mosh part, with Shifty Shellshock calling for the pit by keeping his rhymes focused solely on war and fighting. If a hardcore band put this out in 2024, no one would blink an eye.
