Supergroups often come with diminished expectations these days – there have been way too many instances in which I’d’ve rather have had new albums by the principals instead of a mediocre group effort that just waters down individual strengths. This is not, however, the case with SHRINEBUILDER. Consisting of SCOTT KELLY of NEUROSIS, AL CISNEROS of OM and SLEEP, DALE CROVER of the MELVINS and ALTAMONT and SCOTT “WINO” WEINRICH of the OBSESSED, the HIDDEN HAND, SPIRIT CARAVAN and ST. VITUS (not to mention a fine solo album from earlier this year), Shrinebuilder truly lives up to the expectations built up over that mouthwatering combination of talent. All four dudes come from metal backgrounds of experimentation and exploration, so it comes as no surprise that melodic, mind-expanding anthems like “Blind For All to See” and “Pyramid of the Moon” flow down the side of this volcano. If any one vision dominates here, I’d argue it’s Wino’s, as his psychedelic metal stylings seem to be the foundation on which the edifice rose. But that’s not to sell the others short – Shrinebuilder is truly a collaboration, and one that rivals the home teams for artistic significance. That’s a rare thing in the supergroup universe, and deserves every accolade it should receive.
http://myspace.com/shrinebuildergroup
http://www.neurotrecordings.com
