Shrinebuilder - Self-Titled

by Casey Boland

Let’s face it: hype affects our initial opinions. Positive or negative, we bring assumptions and preconceived notions to the stereo, or more accurately for the times, the computer. Such is certainly the case with Shrinebuilder. When four musical titans group together, expectations will soar.

Solar Benediction (excerpt)

In Shrinebuilder’s case, the sum of its parts yields anticipated results: a hulking, Sabbath-inspired behemoth. Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Scott Kelly, Al Cisneros, Dale Crover: they have given much to heavy music. Their contribution continues with this communion of like-minded spirits. Though they share a devotion to all that is heavy, they still display their personalities. This occurs throughout each song, particularly the multi-faceted “Solar Benediction.”

Wino’s blues sensibility blends well with the darker inclinations of Kelly and Cisneros. Crover lends his trademark clang and thud. The result is an intricately designed and flawlessly executed record that ranks as highly as anything in the contributors’ respective canons. In fact, some who might not have been won over by their other pursuits could well be swayed by this. Wino has never performed on an album this dense, nor the others on something so graced with blues inflections. While not offering anything unexpected, Shrinebuilder is still satisfyingly diverse and bludgeoning.