SS-186 :: SHUN – Shun
Track List
- Run
- Sleepwalking
- At Most
- Machina
- Undone
- Near Enemy
- A Wooden House
- Heese
- Once Again
Album Info
Shun are a four-piece founded by Matt Whitehead (guitar/vocals), Scott Brandon (guitar/backing vocals), Jeff Baucom (bass) and Rob Elzey (drums), who recorded the nine tracks of their self-titled debut in isolation prior to turning them over to the esteemed J. Robbins at the Magpie Cage (Clutch, The Sword, so many others) for mixing and Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio for mastering.
Astute Small Stone Records loyalists will recognize Whitehead from his work in Throttlerod. He’s not alone in pedigree. Brandon has spent most of his life as a working musician, producer and DJ in Detroit, Ann Arbor, MI, and Chicago. Baucom, a veteran player in his own right, played together briefly with Whitehead in a band called Made of Machines and has been a part of the regional music scene for some time. And Elzey has toured the world as a tech for the likes of Hatebreed and Unearth, among many others.
With this varied experience behind them, Shun work quickly to establish a distinct identity throughout this first LP, incorporating styles from melodic noise rock and heavy riffs to atmospheric largesse and contemplative, patient construction.
Having recorded in covid-isolation means drums and bass captured in Elzey’s garage and Brandon’s guitars recorded in his basement studio. Whitehead’s guitar was recorded with amps tucked into his bedroom closet and vocals also tracked in his house. A guest spot from Lamb of God’s Mark Morton on the penultimate “Heese” required no studio stop-by. But it also means songs put together over a period of months rather than days.
It’s to the band’s credit that Shun exists at all, let alone that it is neither disjointed nor wanting for urgency. A forceful and intermittently aggressive offering, it balances mood and intensity of expression throughout its songs. And while the record is coming out at a time when the band can’t get out and support it on stage as they otherwise might, the fact that they are pushing ahead with the release speaks as well to the need to say what they’re saying.
Shun’s style manages to be thoughtful and even sometimes proggy without giving in to self-indulgence or pretense, and their debut offers high-grade, dynamic, melodic heavy rock that resounds with purpose, taking familiar elements and pushing them beyond simplistic genre confines.
RIYL: Hum, Quicksand, Lo-Pan, Throttlerod, Failure, Tool, Shiner
Credits
Shun is:
Jeff Baucom: bass
Matt Whitehead: vocals and guitar
Rob Elzey: drums
Scott Brandon: guitar and vocals
Additional musicians:
Mark Morton: guitar solo on “Heese”
J Robbins: various percussion
Recorded in our jam room and homes during the 2020 quarantine/pandemic.
Mixed by J Robbins @ The Magpie Cage Recording Studio .
Mastered by Dan Coutant @ Sun Room Audio.
Artwork by Alexander von Wieding.
Legal representation: Harlem Greenwood.
SHUN
Shun are a four-piece founded by Matt Whitehead (guitar/vocals), Scott Brandon (guitar/backing vocals), Jeff Baucom (bass) and Rob Elzey (drums), who recorded the nine tracks of their self-titled debut in isolation prior to turning them over to the esteemed J. Robbins at the Magpie Cage (Clutch, The Sword, so many others) for mixing and Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio for mastering.
Astute Small Stone Records loyalists will recognize Whitehead from his work in Throttlerod. He’s not alone in pedigree. Brandon has spent most of his life as a working musician, producer and DJ in Detroit, Ann Arbor, MI, and Chicago. Baucom, a veteran player in his own right, played together briefly with Whitehead in a band called Made of Machines and has been a part of the regional music scene for some time. And Elzey has toured the world as a tech for the likes of Hatebreed and Unearth, among many others.
With this varied experience behind them, Shun work quickly to establish a distinct identity throughout this first LP, incorporating styles from melodic noise rock and heavy riffs to atmospheric largesse and contemplative, patient construction.
Having recorded in covid-isolation means drums and bass captured in Elzey’s garage and Brandon’s guitars recorded in his basement studio. Whitehead’s guitar was recorded with amps tucked into his bedroom closet and vocals also tracked in his house. A guest spot from Lamb of God’s Mark Morton on the penultimate “Heese” required no studio stop-by. But it also means songs put together over a period of months rather than days.
It’s to the band’s credit that Shun exists at all, let alone that it is neither disjointed nor wanting for urgency. A forceful and intermittently aggressive offering, it balances mood and intensity of expression throughout its songs. And while the record is coming out at a time when the band can’t get out and support it on stage as they otherwise might, the fact that they are pushing ahead with the release speaks as well to the need to say what they’re saying.
Shun’s style manages to be thoughtful and even sometimes proggy without giving in to self-indulgence or pretense, and their debut offers high-grade, dynamic, melodic heavy rock that resounds with purpose, taking familiar elements and pushing them beyond simplistic genre confines.
RIYL: Hum, Quicksand, Lo-Pan, Throttlerod, Failure, Tool, Shiner
PALE GREY LORE: Eschatology Full-Length From Psychedelic Doom Conjurors Out Now And Streaming Via Small Stone
Stream / Share PALE GREY LORE’s Eschatology At THIS LOCATION Eschatology, the latest full-length from Columbus, Ohio-based psychedelic doom conjurors PALE GREY LORE is out now and streaming via Small Stone Recordings. PALE GREY LORE blends elements of garage psych, space rock, post-punk, and stoner doom to create focused, hook-driven, heavy, rock ‘n’ roll. Eschatology was produced by the band’s own Xander Roseberry and Michael Miller, engineered and mixed by Andy Sartain, and mastered by Harold LaRue, with artwork and layout by Adam Eckley. Stream Eschatology in its entirety at THIS LOCATION. Eschatology is out now on CD, limited LP, and digital formats. For orders, visit the Small Stone Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION. “Eschatology tells the story of a depleted planet beset by vast inequality, ravaged by climate catastrophe, and poisoned by nuclear disaster,” relays the band of the record’s themes. “The masses are left to suffer and die while the wealthy techno-industrialists responsible for the destruction flee in luxury spacecraft that will become their tombs. The sheer magnitude of this planetary devastation summons cosmic beings whose presence warps reality itself, and the world is utterly transformed as the present collides with an ancient timeline. When the survivors finally emerge from their underground shelters, they discover that half the planet remains a post-apocalyptic wasteland while the other half has become lush and verdant. One hemisphere is strewn with melted reactors, crashed spacecraft, and bombed-out ruins; the other is an untamed wilderness, teeming with strange creatures, and dotted with ominous towering edifices that pulsate with eldritch power.” Catch PALE GREY LORE live in the coming weeks including a performance at this year’s edition of Descendants Of Crom. PALE GREY LORE: 9/21/2019 Descendants Of Crom III @ Cattivo – Pittsburgh, PA 9/24/2019 Skully’s Music-Diner – Columbus, OH 9/28/2019 Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH 10/19/2019 The Union – Athens, OH 11/08/2019 Ace Of Cups – Columbus, OH PALE GREY LORE began as a collaboration between brothers Michael (guitar, vocals) and Adam Miller (drums), with Donovan Johnson (bass) joining up in the summer of 2014. Xander Roseberry (guitar, backing vocals) was added to the lineup in the winter of 2016, just prior to their signing with Oak Island Records, an imprint of German label Kozmik Artifactz. The band’s eponymous debut full-length was originally self-released on limited-run CD and digitally in June of 2016 and consequently landed at the #13 spot on TheObelisk.net‘s Top 20 Debut Albums of that year. Conceived as a series of surreal vignettes, it brought forth allegorical scenes from a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world in which the lines between science and the occult, technology and superstition, were hopelessly blurred. The album was released on vinyl in December 2017 via Oak Island Records. Building on the momentum of the vinyl release, PALE GREY LORE began playing more live shows throughout the Midwest, landing spots on heavy music festivals such as the Chicago Doomed & Stoned Fest, Descendants Of Crom, and the Maryland Doom Fest. They’ve shared the stages with the likes of Pelican, Monolord, Lo-Pan, and Le Butcherettes, and are primed to release second album Eschatology. Fans of Failure, Lo-Pan, Black Sabbath, Irata, and Sundrifter, pay heed. “…positively ballooning with fresh ideas, ever-weaving melodicism, and the right sort of cathartic narrative that’ll grip the listener by their chest and shake them free of the catatonia-inducing chaotic reality of today.” — Grizzly Butts “Eschatology is a record full of purpose, and the realization of not just a plotline, but a creative vision fleshed out across the work…of multiple songwriters coming together toward a common end. It is simultaneously gorgeous and troubling, thoughtful in composition and impact-making in result.” – The Obelisk”Eschatology draws equally on network news tickers and D&D, and also finds singer/guitarist Michael Miller and Co. blasting Elon Musk and his ilk into space to die” — Columbus Alive “While PALE GREY LORE‘s debut album set up a solid foundation in 2016, Eschatology is where things really get interesting. A noticeable boost in heaviness gives the group some extra weight but they never lose sight of their psychedelic roots. The conceptual angle, in turn, sets a strong precedent for what will hopefully be even more trippy freak-outs to follow. If albums like this and the newest efforts by Merlin, Book of Wyrms, and Ecstatic Vision are anything to go by, the space rock scene is in good hands.” – Indy Metal Vault “The songs are epic bites of timeless rock, with fabulous little touches to make the listener engage (including some mystical bells to the title track)… The sounds engage slowly, like friends who become stronger over time. The guitar work is bottom heavy, but melodic. The top end frequency only exists in a parallel universe.” — Metal Nexus “These guys play a heavy-handed version of drug laced Camaro rock. The vocals offer more hopefully floating sense of melody. The tight syncopated feel of what they do has as much as in common with Helmet as they do Kyuss.” — Abysmal Hymns “Heavy but at the same time groovy…. With this excellent debut album, PALE GREY LORE have added their own chapter to the great rock and roll story.” — More Fuzz “…a thundering good time from smoldering start to the winding end of the closing title track. Equal parts color and clout, the vibrancy of the guitar flourishes, with the vast musical textures being matched in the album’s cover (an element of artistic work I find to be often brushed over these days). A colorful but bleak snapshot of the aftermath of a civilization’s downfall, the mystery of the artwork captured my interest. The music all but held it hostage. What lies beyond the doorway of that cryptic tower?” — Everything Is Noise For PALE GREY LORE coverage contact liz@earsplitcompound.com. http://www.facebook.com/palegreylore/ http://www.smallstone.com http://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords http://www.smallstone.bandcamp.com |
10 September 2019 SSR HQ Uncategorized Read more
PALE GREY LORE
Blending elements of garage psych, space rock, post‐punk, and stoner doom, Columbus Ohio’s Pale Grey Lore create focused, hook-driven heavy rock and roll loses no edge for its focus on songwriting. Melodic vocals and subtle harmonies echo alongside molten groove in guitar, bass and drums, taking a time-tested formula and proving it indeed to be timeless.
The band began as a collaboration between brothers Michael (guitar, vocals) and Adam Miller (drums), with Donovan Johnson (bass) joining up in the summer of 2014. Xander Roseberry (guitar, backing vocals) was added to the lineup in the winter of 2016, just prior to their signing with Oak Island Records, an imprint of German label Kozmik Artifactz.
Pale Grey Lore’s self‐titled debut album was originally self‐released on limited‐run CD and download in June of 2016. Conceived as a series of surreal vignettes, it brought forth allegorical scenes from a dystopian, post‐apocalyptic world in which the lines between science and the occult, technology and superstition, were hopelessly blurred. The album was released on vinyl LP December 1st 2017 via Oak Island Records.
Building on the momentum of the vinyl release, Pale Grey Lore began playing more live shows throughout the Midwest, landing spots on heavy music festivals such as the Chicago Doomed & Stoned Fest, Descendants of Crom, and the Maryland Doom Fest. They have shared the stage with: Pelican, Monolord, Lo‐Pan, and Le Butcherettes and have completed their second album ‘Eschatology’ which can be best described as heavy on the heavy, and fuzzy and trippy in all the right places. ‘Eschatology’ will be hitting the streets on all formats in September of 2019 on Small Stone.
RIYL: Failure, Lo-Pan, Black Sabbath, Irata, Sundrifter.
SS-178 :: PALE GREY LORE – Eschatology
Track List
- Sunken Cities
- Greed Springs Eternal
- Before the Fall
- Regicide
- Waiting for the Dawn
- The Rift
- Void-Cursed
- Silent Command
- Undermined
- Eschatology
Album Info
Blending elements of garage psych, space rock, post‐punk, and stoner doom, Columbus Ohio’s Pale Grey Lore create focused, hook-driven heavy rock and roll loses no edge for its focus on songwriting. Melodic vocals and subtle harmonies echo alongside molten groove in guitar, bass and drums, taking a time-tested formula and proving it indeed to be timeless.
The band began as a collaboration between brothers Michael (guitar, vocals) and Adam Miller (drums), with Donovan Johnson (bass) joining up in the summer of 2014. Xander Roseberry (guitar, backing vocals) was added to the lineup in the winter of 2016, just prior to their signing with Oak Island Records, an imprint of German label Kozmik Artifactz.
Pale Grey Lore’s self‐titled debut album was originally self‐released on limited‐run CD and download in June of 2016. Conceived as a series of surreal vignettes, it brought forth allegorical scenes from a dystopian, post‐apocalyptic world in which the lines between science and the occult, technology and superstition, were hopelessly blurred. The album was released on vinyl LP December 1st 2017 via Oak Island Records.
Building on the momentum of the vinyl release, Pale Grey Lore began playing more live shows throughout the Midwest, landing spots on heavy music festivals such as the Chicago Doomed & Stoned Fest, Descendants of Crom, and the Maryland Doom Fest. They have shared the stage with: Pelican, Monolord, Lo‐Pan, and Le Butcherettes and have completed their second album ‘Eschatology’ which can be best described as heavy on the heavy, and fuzzy and trippy in all the right places. ‘Eschatology’ will be hitting the streets on all formats in September of 2019 on Small Stone.
For fans of: Failure, Lo-Pan, Black Sabbath, Irata, Sundrifter.
Credits
Pale Grey Lore is:
Michael Miller: lead and backing vocals, six-string electric and acoustic guitars, theremin and mellotron sounds
Xander Roseberry: backing vocals, six-string and twelve-string electric and acoustic guitars, theremin and chimes
Donovan Johnson: bass guitar
Adam Miller: drums and auxiliary percussion
Produced by Xander Roseberry and Michael Miller.
Engineered and mixed by Andy Sartain.
Recorded at Mindfield Recording & Mixing in Columbus, Ohio.
Mastered by Harold LaRue.
Artwork and layout by Adam Eckley.
All songs written and performed by Pale Grey Lore.
All lyrics by Michael Miller.
Published by Small Stone Records (ASCAP) / SH Small Stone Music (BMI).
