ShroudEater - Thundernoise



Ultra-low budget Black Cobra in D flat, as played by (mostly) woman.
Quite cool: Seismically-heavy, quirkily-lurching sludge.
This is fun stuff. I wrote the first draft of this review almost immediately after listening the whole album the first time. I wanted to capture my thoughts right away, and I rarely do that.
I've listened to it five times now, in less than 24 hours.
"High John the Conqueror" lurches to and fro, radically detuned, taking its time.... "Vesuvius" with its tribal drumming opener: dig that distorted bass riff, dig that thick-ass riff over top of it, dig that double bass coming in just then, dig the feedback and double-tracked vocals at 1:15... a heavier Kylesa meets Helmet.... "Cyclone" fires up one helluva simple thick-ass riff which segues into a pedal-tone-tastic instrumental riff fest.... "Shark Valley," mandolin-intro'ed, folk-sludge crusted riffer, similarly-instrumental.... "Oubliette," a remorseful Gothic instrumental...
"Baying of Jackals" starts tribal --"Rise from the place where you hide!"-- hits a semi-syncopated odd meter (i.e., you can't dance to it and headbanging might be a challenge); the two facets compliment each other and make the tribal more tribal and the quirky more quirked. "Sinister Hunt," the more riffy, stomp-laden brother of the previous piece-- ending with a mantra and slowing slowing slowing slowing feedback....
"Hands That Prey" (see what they did there?) a one-minute, acousticed, phased, delayed intro to "Pale Rider" and its riff-armored war horse of a tune, complete with gang (really prolly just multi-tracked) vocals, raises images of an army, invoked shaman-style, chanting a victory cry. THEN: around 2:00, becomes a quiet, drum-launched fireside chant, THEN: takes off again with the screaming war-painted masses.
Nicely ended, ShroudEater.
Thundernoise does absolutely nothing original. 
But it does it very, very well.
 --Horn

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