| Doomonstration (Promo) | 2002 | Exile on Mainstream |
Innovation is clearly not the issue here. The band only seeks to revive the good-old days that bring tears of nostalgia in the eyes of some of us (especially those of us who are approaching the magical age 40 and still swear to their beard, beer belly and Motorhead shirts). A garage ambience, groovy riffs, and even a psychedelic acoustic outro on the last track on this promo join their forces and together with the distant, raw vocals and some weird samples, they make the day of the enthousiastic old-school doom rock fan. Unfortunately, the guitar sound is solid enouth to move some more 'modern' doom fans as well.
Unfortunately the cd I got sent by their label is damaged and I couldn't listen to the second track. I would be surprised if it was different from the other two, though. Together with the Greek Violet Vortex this is another promising 'doom rock revivalist' band which should be checked out by lovers of this genre.
This promo is limited to 100 copies and can be ordered from exile@mainstreamrecords.de for the insignificant price of 5 Euro (excluding postage fee).
[Not available]
Approx. 20 minutes
| Laments (CD) | 2003 | Exile on Mainstream |
One of Shepherd's co-founders is Andreas Kohl; he's also Exile on Mainstream's labelmeister and the artist who reportedly did the work for the elegant CD booklet, featuring doomy romantic graveyards, animal skulls, and derelict ocean liners. So far so good, but what about the music? Well, its old-school riffing doom with a taste of sludge for good measure. Shepherd is not about pushing musical boundaries; rather, they're updating trad doom for the new century. Lets put it this way: if the Hellhound label were still in business, Shepherd would be their latest signing. The songwriting is consistently good throughout the disc, with long, mid-paced songs emphasizing various elements such as stoner ('Suburban Boogie') or space ('Art of Being Lost') overlaid onto the solid bedrock of musical influences such as St. Vitus, Lost Breed, Obsessed, and Internal Void. The last two tunes on the disc come closer to newer Electric Wizard or Sons of Otis territory, steeped as they are in doom/sludge goodness.
Shepherd deserves to take their place alongside the newest wave of doom masters such as Orodruin, Thunderstorm, and Pale Divine, and yet they are clearly on their own program, not sounding quite like anyone else. Write the label site above and pick up on some sweet misery.
1. Healing
2. Times
3. Suburban Boogie
4. Black Faced Witch
5. Sleepless
6. The Art of Being Lost
7. The Coldest Day/The Story of the Holy Drinker
Approx. 52 minutes
| The Coldest Day (CD) | 2004 | Exile on Mainstream |
With this go 'round the Shepherd dudes brought in their love of Zep-style 70s metal riffrock and the noise elements evident at the end of their first disc, sank them deep in a mournful tarn of Doom, and shook it all up, earthquake-style. The result is doom that is both better executed and more intense than their first album, especially the screaming, double-tracked vocals. This is also a concept album of sorts, as you can see from the song titles. Shepherd's lyrics examine the platform of western culture's Christian framework, showing how much of our daily life is still determined - unconsciously - by religion. If this reminds you of The Hidden Hand, then you're not alone. In fact, if you're a discerning listener you may recognize a certain guitar playing style as the album progresses, cemented by the guest vocals on Track 7. Yes, its none other than Wino himself, turning in another notable performance.
Hidden Hand enthusiasts, of whom there are more than a few, will dig Shepherd. But there are other elements at work here besides HH and even the traditional doom of Obsessed, Internal Void, Sabbath, and Trouble. For one thing, there are times that Shepherd all-out rocks the digits on this one, like your favorite 70s hard rock heroes. For another, there's an 80s SST feeling lurking in the background, inspiring thoughts of the Minutemen, Black Flag, and Saccharine Trust. And lets not forget the true doom bands like Orodruin and Reverend Bizarre. And what about those noisy, hardcore yet bluesy vocals? Wow. This may seem to be all over the map, but it coheres remarkably well.
And then there's the last track, 'Doomsday.' Man, this one will give you the blues, even while you're grinning at the b-movie vocal narrative. Whereas the rest of the album rocks the doom, this is more sludgey, deathy and depressing: think Grief, Negative Reaction, Khanate, and Dystopia. It's awash in feedback and mood, and even sports an atmospheric sax, courtesy of German doom jazzers Bohren & Der Club of Gore. And keep listening.....there's a rockin' bonus track there at the very end.
The band may be dead, but adventurous doomsters will do well to check it out anyway. It's familiar enough to strike the chords you love, and different enough to sound fresh. So piss off the pigeonholers with the Teutonic doom madness of Shepherd. Because no matter what time of day it is, it's always a good time to Get Heavy.
1. Monday
2. Tuesday
3. Wednesday
4. Thursday
5. Friday
6. Saturday
7. Sunday
8. Doomsday
Approx. 66 minutes