Shrinebuilder | ‘Shrinebuilder’

If prizes were to go for the most star-studded of supergroups this year, then Shrinebuilder would almost certainly be jogging up to the podium before the envelope is even fully open. That full line-up once again: Scott Kelly of Neurosis fame, Al Ciscernos from Om, Dale Crover from the Melvins and the one and only Wino, of Doom godz St. Vitus, The Obsessed and half a dozen others.

It’s true that the ensemble sounds like nothing short of a dream lineup for your average flannel bedecked stoner, but it’s also worthwhile to stand back and ask that question. How often does that super group thing actually work? 

It comes with some relief that things pump into action with some real power, as ‘Solar Benediction’ hoves into view with Crover hammering away the kit and Wino providing some very nice vocal patterns, hitting that high keen of his in just the way we like it. Yep, I could definitely get used to this.  

Unfortunately, even with this admittedly kick ass start, a few things immediately begin to fall a bit short of the mark even before this song is out. Kelly pretty much takes over vocal duties, and you’ve guessed it, in no time he’s roaring away about blood (the man is completely obsessed with the stuff), with what sounds like a throwaway Neurosis riff plodding along behind him. Thankfully, a very nice moon-chilled section of chiming bass and fuzzed-out guitar feedback allows the song to live up to its celestial title and things come to an enjoyable close.

This is a pattern of composition that is pretty much repeated all throughout the album’s duration. They’ve succeeded in injecting certain aspects of the other projects that they are involved with, but at times sounds a like a mosaic rather than a complete piece of work.

Crover’s style on the drums is unmistakable, with plenty of snare and tom workouts providing a dry, organic backround to Kelly’s croon. We could actually be listening to Om when Ciscernos unleashes that monotone vocal hypnosis during ‘Pyramid of the Moon’, and when Weinrich does occasionally get behind the mic again, some tasty 70’s guitar licks are duly knocked out. 

If the group set out to make a record that accurately reflects the styles of the people involved, it’s fair to say they’ve succeeded in what they’ve attempted. Forgetting who’s involved and sitting down with it, it’s a very listenable record, and taken on its own there’s very few negatives that could be said about it. But crucially it lacks almost all of what makes the members’ other bands so essential – space for the elements to work.

Instead, we’re left with a compact and relatively polite listen, that sounds like a pretty adventurous rock experiment rather than something that compels you, like ‘Times of Grace’, or ‘Houdini’, or even ‘Pilgrimage’ managed. 

Those riff hounds looking for big fat guitar sections will be resoundingly disappointed. But those who enjoy a nice jam of psychedelic, nuanced heavy rock will have more than enough in this short record to keep their attention. Ultimately, the inoffensive, chilled vibe of the album is what defines it, the meandering bass that warbles away during the album’s last few seconds acting as a signature to what’s an enjoyable but still unfulfilled project. 

3 / 5 - Lorcan Archer ::: 20/09/09