Shrine Of The Monkey - Shrine Of The Monkey
Self-released - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Shrine Of The Monkey are an unsigned British trio playing classic 70s-influenced heavy metal. They've been getting good notices from their live performances, and have recently played as a support act to tech-metal wunderkinds, Biomechanical. This four-track demo provides a good indicator as to why they've been getting appreciative heads nodding away at their gigs.
Their sound takes in a range of influences, from the sinister vibes and plodding riffage of early Black Sabbath, to the more upbeat and showy blues-based material of Led Zeppelin, with a bit of spacey weirdness a la Hawkwind and Rush (minus the pretention and keyboards) thrown in for good measure. The recording quality suits the material perfectly, with a natural, almost live sound enhancing the retro stylings of the material. Vocalists Kev Lee and Bryan Prosser either handle a track on their own, or double up for added depth, and their differing but complementary styles give rise to many a catchy vocal hook.
Okay, so in many respects, it's dated - in fact, I can easily conceive of more unforgiving quarters condeming this as 'pub-rock' and moving on. It's certainly not an essential release by any means. However, if you're in the mood for some undemanding, old-school rock played with conviction, you could do a lot worse than check these guys out. Tracks like 'Anthem' still rock regardless of context, and it's occasionally refreshing to hear old-school rock and metal performed with passion.
6.5/10
UM's Review Ratings Scale
Shrine Of The Monkey's Official Website
Self-released - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Shrine Of The Monkey are an unsigned British trio playing classic 70s-influenced heavy metal. They've been getting good notices from their live performances, and have recently played as a support act to tech-metal wunderkinds, Biomechanical. This four-track demo provides a good indicator as to why they've been getting appreciative heads nodding away at their gigs.
Their sound takes in a range of influences, from the sinister vibes and plodding riffage of early Black Sabbath, to the more upbeat and showy blues-based material of Led Zeppelin, with a bit of spacey weirdness a la Hawkwind and Rush (minus the pretention and keyboards) thrown in for good measure. The recording quality suits the material perfectly, with a natural, almost live sound enhancing the retro stylings of the material. Vocalists Kev Lee and Bryan Prosser either handle a track on their own, or double up for added depth, and their differing but complementary styles give rise to many a catchy vocal hook.
Okay, so in many respects, it's dated - in fact, I can easily conceive of more unforgiving quarters condeming this as 'pub-rock' and moving on. It's certainly not an essential release by any means. However, if you're in the mood for some undemanding, old-school rock played with conviction, you could do a lot worse than check these guys out. Tracks like 'Anthem' still rock regardless of context, and it's occasionally refreshing to hear old-school rock and metal performed with passion.
6.5/10
UM's Review Ratings Scale
Shrine Of The Monkey's Official Website
