Shrinebuilder – Self-Titled (Music Review)
By Andrew Duncan • Nov 2nd, 2009 • Category: Categories, Metal, ReviewsShrinebuilder
Self Titled
Neurot
Rating: 3 out of 5
Links:
http://www.myspace.com/shrinebuildergroup
http://www.neurotrecordings.com/
In the early ‘90s, White Zombie came out with a couple albums filled with sludge-like stoner rock that turned the metal world upside down. Then came Beavis And Butthead and the ideal perception of metal and stoner rock amplified threefold. If it wasn’t for Kyuss and some bands from the Northwest, the ideology of stoner rock would be tainted forever.
If Beavis and Butthead could see Shrinebuilder now, their stiff mullet hair would be blown straight up in the air, mouths agape. What Shrinebuilder has that White Zombie (pre La Sexorcisto) did not is a better production and a more expansive approach to their songs, meandering away from the crunch and grind to explore their more guitar-laden ambient side like they sit around in their tour bus listening to Tangerine Dream, Amon Duul, or early Yes.
The vocals are exactly what you would expect from a band like this: a cross between Tad Doyle and Peter Steele. If there were some Chris Cornell wails thrown in then you would have the ultimate vocalist. Yet the mind-crushing music is what keeps this long-winded EP moving and is worth keeping partly for novelty and partly for some decent instrumental work. Either way devil horns will erect from a stale jean jacket arm and penetrate the ring of smoke that hovers above.
Andrew Duncan is a journalist who has migrated to the forces of academia. He has written for various publications including Chord, Heckler, Readyset...Aesthetic, and a vast array of alternative press contributions. When not roaming the streets of Indianapolis, he is either addicted to KXCI, making music, or striving to watch every film listed on IMDB.
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This one’s a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, which came as a total surprise. Star rating’s spot on, though — while fun in its own special way, it’s still pretty much inessential.