Saturday 17 August 2013

Shroud Eater - Dead Ends EP Review


DEAD ENDS cover art

Shroud Eater is a Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal Band from USA

The members are:

Jean Saiz - guitar/vocals
Janette Valentine - bass/backup vocals
Felipe Torres - drums

Here is a band that has been flying under my radar. I do not know why. Stupidity on my behalf I guess. However, some of you might have heard of Shroud Eater as they have been going on as a band for the last a few years. They have released an album in 2011 and a previous EP.

However, the band is back with their excellent EP – Dead Ends – that features five superb songs running for about 28 mins or so. What can you expect from this hugely talented band? Well if you are a fan of Torche, Kylesa, Baroness, High On Fire and Dark Castle then you are going to dig this big time.

Shroud Eater knows how to write and play a mean fat juicy riff. Dead Ends is full of them and all blended with a superb psychedelic edge. First track Cannibals gets this EP off to a great start. A 2-minute drone based Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs with creepy ambient vocals and noises lurking in the background. It gives you a brief glimpse to expect from this great EP.

However, you know what makes this EP really stand out. It is the brilliant dual female vocals of Jean and Janette. They can give their male counterparts a run for their money as they give this EP a dangerous and hard rocking edge. Check out excellent tracks – Tempest, Lord Of The Sword and Sudden Plague to show you what these hugely talented ladies can do once they are in full flight.

Plus the epic riffs they are laying down are excellent as well. Shroud Eater have harnessed the violent thunderous energy of High On Fire and matched it with Kylesa style riffs. But you know something Shroud Eater have managed to make it sound fresh and original.

I feel Dead Ends proves that Shroud Eater are on the right path of being one of the next breakout stars of the Sludge/Stoner Metal scene in the next 12 months or so. I never wanted the EP to end as it has some amazing creepy atmospheric Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs.

Shroud Eater are highly thought of within the scene and on this form, I can see the reasons why. They are a phenomenal band waiting to be discovered by a bigger audience as possible. Give it a couple of years and maybe their next full-length album but I can see Shroud Eater being one of the genres shining lights.

Dead Ends is a wonderful release from Shroud Eater. It is already winning acclaim within the Sludge/Stoner Metal community and I do not see that stopping for a very long time indeed.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Dead Ends is now available to buy from Shroud Eater’s BandCamp Page on Digital Download.

Thanks to The Band for sending me a promo to review.

If you want to check out Shroud Eater then you can download the excellent track – Tempest – free download now on their BandCamp Page. Plus their 2011 debut album – ThunderNoise – is up for free download on BandCamp now. And it is an excellent release you should all check out now.

Check The Band From Links Below

Facebook
BandCamp