Review – Shroud Eater – Demo

MySpace Page

Shroud Eater are a Miami, FL trio that plays, what they themselves describe as “loud and heavy rock’n’roll”.  This is their self-titled demo / EP and, by all means, it sounds as good as any band with lengthier history. Its a modern day metal/sludge/rock done right – with all the ferocity (and a certain amount of groove) that one can expect from such band.
Spirit-wise, the band can be compared to the likes of Mastodon / Baroness, but there’s also plenty of other influences – from Sabbath to Jesus Lizard. Then there’s also a (lesser) influence of numerous bands listed on the band’s MySpace page – anyone from Karp to Motorhead.
Most of the songs feature fairly intricate interplay between vocals, slower/sludgier part and galloping rock’n’roll/metal. In that regards one of the most outstanding tracks is an instrumental “Cyclone” that closes an EP (its preceded by “Vesuvius”, which is another great tune).
“We Are Beasts” is the most vocally-oriented track on the album and while vocals are not bad, they’re not strong enough to match the rhythm section (interestingly enough, certain parts of this song resemble Jesus Lizard’s “Here Come Dudley”).
All in all, this demo have everything going for it – great production, great performance and a cool cover art (created by  SE guitarist/vocalist Jeannie Saiz) to match. You can’t really ask for more from an EP (or a full-length, for that matter) and, judging by this record, the sky’s the limit for Shroud Eater.
Other reviews – Heavy Metal Time Machine / Stoner Rock Is Here To Stay / Doom Over The World / Doommantia