While everyone was losing their minds over the excellent Conjurer debut (myself included), another batch of post-everything metal was brewing deep in the swamps of Jacksonville, Florida (BORTLES!). However, Yashira’s particular batch of potent potables expands the reaches of Conjurer’s multi-faceted sound to dizzying and spectacular heights. There’s a much greater emphasis (and an emphatic one at that) on sheer sonic violence, and the moments when the band go all out (none more venomous than the album’s stunning opening salvo) are mesmerizing. The one-two opening punch recalls an unholy mix of Converge-ian noisecore with heaping doses of deathgrind, sludge, and a surprising handle on dynamics. The mix of the ethereal with the massive recalls a more death-tinged Inter Arma in how effectively the group embrace a wide spectrum of sound. The riveting mix of death metal and sludge (as the key musical ingredients) is truly impressive, making even the most contemplative moments in Shrine feel aggressive. The multi-vocalist approach is deployed wisely, making the listener feel surrounded by an angry mob that know to make a proper racket.
However, where Yashira truly shine is in the riff department. Be they death, hardcore, sludge, or blackened, Shrine feels like a Cheesecake Factory-sized menu with a hefty variety of riff specials. You have your spastic, your manic, your contemplative, your psychedelic, and, best of all, your neck-destroying. Once the band allow for a sense of (relative) peace to creep in, starting with the post-sludge of “Raze (Deject)” and continuing through the instrumental rumbling dirge of the title track onward, the record does lose a tad of its momentum, only insofar as songs feel like they could be slightly tightened up for maximum effect. Namely, a few of the songs feel a tad stretched out by the end. It’s a minor issue that is minimized by the efficient nature of the album; the less is more mindset makes for a record that leaves you wanting more at the end.
Ultimately, that’s the final impression that this mighty and impressive record gives the listener. Shrine really is a temple to the art of riffs, and each of these six songs offer up a worthy chapter in the how to make compelling metal. Yashira’s sound is often complex and bold, but the band’s power and execution make for a rewarding record. Shrine is truly massive and any fan of post-metal would be a fool to miss out on this promising young band.
