ninehertz

Dead Shrine is the work of but one person, performing all instruments and providing vocals, obviously a sickeningly talented person, by the name of Craig Williamson, from New Zealand. This is an album of good old stoner rock, fuzz abandon and heavy psychedelia.

It's hard not to spot a theme in the "for fans of" section of the press kit, with three of the five bands mentioned (Unida, Slo Burn, Kyuss) all sharing the same vocalist, and it quickly becomes apparent why when opener Serpents of the Sun kicks in. The vocals immediately sound like John Garcia, uncannily so. It's not always this tell tale across the whole album, but when it is it's undeniable. The song take a bit of time to get going, but when the groove kicks in it's highly enjoyable.

There follow two tracks to solidify that early high bar - a bit of Sleep creeping into the title track, and with the crunch in the guitars that highlight Scared Light, you're firmly in excellent stoner rock territory. It is here where the other bands mention in the FFO slot (Lowrider, Dozer) become apparent and worthy, it has the feel of the cream of the original European sound to it, which was rougher and more real than their Californian counterparts, whilst still melodic and adventurous.

The album doesn't maintain that level of enjoyment, sadly. There's nothing particularly bad, but the joy and cool stoner flow of the opening trifecta is never reached again. Despite this there are noteworthy moments - dipping into Wino-esque doom on Monuments or the decent Clutch-like blues and bluster of Temple of Saturn.

The Garcia comparison may put a few off who've felt stoner rock basked safely in Kyuss' shadow for too long, and the early tail off makes this a less than perfect album. But it shouldn't be judged too harshly on either front - the prime feeling coming out the other end is of a notable stoner rock record with its high moments, incredibly performed by just one person with a fresh take on the old sound.