SHAMAN'S HARVEST
Hard rock quartet Shaman's Harvest have returned after a five year absence with album number five, 'Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns'. I say hard rock, but this can be posited firmly at the heavier end of the genre, verging on metal at times. Labels aside, what this American act have delivered here is an aurally infectious suite of music where hooks, memorable refrains, and generally well composed tunes are aplenty. And, together with a sporadicity of acoustic/piano-based pieces ('The End of Me'; 'In the End'; 'Silent Voice'), which offer a little variance from the rock prominence that dominates most of the album, they excel with both their stripped-down sound and heavier sonics.
A mixed-paced album, Shaman's Harvest sound as comfortable and at ease exercising their compositional skills and southern-tinged rock prowess within the context of down and mid tempos, as well as some more up-tempo moments. However, it's the down and mid tempo four/four time signatures that characterise much of the album's playing time and, as such, 'Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns' provides a fairly laid-back listening experience. A laid-back listening experience, albeit a thoroughly engaging one, as songs demand attention through their subtly diverse essence. That's not to say Shaman's Harvest are a diverse band per se; rather, each song sounds like its own discrete piece. There's no formulaic template they seem to be following although, at the same time, there's nothing intrinsically diverse or radically innovative about their songwriting. It's the originality they've managed to bestow upon each track through some fresh sounding melodies and stylistic blends that sets them apart from other more paradigmatic hard rockers. And when they do adopt a cross genre approach, such as when they introduce country flavours to the appositely titled 'Country as Fuck', it blends perfectly with their established rock/metal aesthetic.
Each of the four musicians show their worth on their respective instruments although it's vocalist Nathan Hunt who delivers a truly heartfelt performance, made even more impressive by the very fact that he was alternating between recording the album and receiving treatment for throat cancer. He's quoted in press materials as saying: "I immersed myself in this record, committed to not missing a day. I didn't know if it was gonna be my last...", and such a determined, sincere and unfaltering sentiment is discernible in each and every song. It's quite remarkable. And 'Shaman Harvest's fifth full-length offering is quite a remarkable album.
A mixed-paced album, Shaman's Harvest sound as comfortable and at ease exercising their compositional skills and southern-tinged rock prowess within the context of down and mid tempos, as well as some more up-tempo moments. However, it's the down and mid tempo four/four time signatures that characterise much of the album's playing time and, as such, 'Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns' provides a fairly laid-back listening experience. A laid-back listening experience, albeit a thoroughly engaging one, as songs demand attention through their subtly diverse essence. That's not to say Shaman's Harvest are a diverse band per se; rather, each song sounds like its own discrete piece. There's no formulaic template they seem to be following although, at the same time, there's nothing intrinsically diverse or radically innovative about their songwriting. It's the originality they've managed to bestow upon each track through some fresh sounding melodies and stylistic blends that sets them apart from other more paradigmatic hard rockers. And when they do adopt a cross genre approach, such as when they introduce country flavours to the appositely titled 'Country as Fuck', it blends perfectly with their established rock/metal aesthetic.
Each of the four musicians show their worth on their respective instruments although it's vocalist Nathan Hunt who delivers a truly heartfelt performance, made even more impressive by the very fact that he was alternating between recording the album and receiving treatment for throat cancer. He's quoted in press materials as saying: "I immersed myself in this record, committed to not missing a day. I didn't know if it was gonna be my last...", and such a determined, sincere and unfaltering sentiment is discernible in each and every song. It's quite remarkable. And 'Shaman Harvest's fifth full-length offering is quite a remarkable album.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Mascot Records
Album
SMOKIN' HEARTS & BROKEN GUNS
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
49:07
RELEASE DATE:
15th Sept 2014
TRACK LISTING
1) Dangerous; 2) Here It Comes
3) Ten Million Voicess
4) Blood in the Water
5) The End of Me
6) Country as F*ck
7) Hero
8) Dirty Drama
9) In the End
10) In Chains
11) Silent Voice
12) Dragonfly (Extended Unplugged Version)
3) Ten Million Voicess
4) Blood in the Water
5) The End of Me
6) Country as F*ck
7) Hero
8) Dirty Drama
9) In the End
10) In Chains
11) Silent Voice
12) Dragonfly (Extended Unplugged Version)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
USA
"It's the originality they've managed to bestow upon each track through some fresh sounding melodies and stylistic blends that sets them apart from other more paradigmatic hard rockers."
