Last Crack

A Wisconsin-rooted ensemble calling itself an “acid-metal” outfit, Last Crack fuses thrash, progressive metal, funk, blues, and melody-laden psychedelic rock into a single, aggressive sound. The group first appeared in 1989 with the stark Sinister Funkhouse #17; the record’s immediate critical and commercial impact proved intense, prompting the 1991 follow-up Burning Time before the original lineup dissolved. Although a revised configuration cut several demos in 1994, another twenty-five years passed before the band officially regrouped and delivered its third studio album, Up Rising, in 2019.

The project took shape during the summer of 1987 in Madison, built around guitarists Paul Schluter and Don Bakken, bassist Todd Winger, drummer Phil Buerstatte, and frontman Buddo Xavier Rank. Arriving as the glam and pop-metal era waned and grunge began to rise, the quintet’s wide-ranging approach recalled the eclecticism of Jane’s Addiction, King’s X, Faith No More, Mary My Hope, and Fishbone. Roadrunner Records signed the act largely on the strength of its volatile, emotionally charged concerts, which had started drawing listeners beyond the Midwest. The debut, Sinister Funkhouse #17, was tracked at Prince’s Paisley Park and presented a confrontational, stylistically unruly collection whose cover showed a nude Buddo striking an archer’s pose against a blood-red wall; the imagery helped secure the group’s lasting cult following. Its darker, equally wide-ranging successor, Burning Time, was produced by Dave Jerden and featured the single “Energy Mind,” which received limited MTV airplay and drew praise from reviewers and listeners alike. Internal tensions and mismanagement soon surfaced, however, and within months—on the cusp of wider recognition—Last Crack disbanded.

A short-lived 1994 reunion with vocalist Shawn Brown produced the demo collection Runheadstartscreaming. The original members reconvened for a single performance in 2002 and again in 2009, yet they did not formalize their return until 2019. After drummer Phil Buerstatte’s death in 2013, the band recruited Cris Havey, an early associate, to handle the drum chair. Signing with Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson’s EMP imprint, Last Crack issued its long-awaited third studio long-player, Up Rising, in 2019.