Shaman's Harvest Rattles Chains To Haunting Effect

Shaman's Harvest, here's your big time hard rock moment. The Jefferson City, Missouri outfit which was formed in 1996, has put together a fine rocker that gives a listener everything he or she could hope to ask for. Charmingly enough, the opening portion, unlike some movie trailers, doesn't give away what makes the single "In Chains" massive. Chunky guitar thunders through the roost like the proverbial fox getting left alone in the hen house. Were you as surprised as I was at the differing attitude between the first five seconds and the chorus. Kind of lulls you into a false sense of I know what my buck is buying me. Nathan Hunt has a tight grasp of what it takes to keep an audience's attention. You want to follow his steely resolve because it's within that resolve where the melodic treasure lies buried. Speak of gold doubloons Derrick Shipp successfully avoids peppering you with too much of the machismo that's a rock guitar god's bread and butter. Knowing your trade doesn't mean overselling how well you can ply it. Way to go, Derrick. Tastefully seasoned without dropping the entire salt shaker in. Adam Zemanek refrains from posturing at the drum post. Some artistry gets flexed but he's man enough to acknowledge when he's going overboard. Josh Hamler claims authority at rhythm guitar. Matt Fisher contributes solidly on bass. The fabulous sync between band mates earns us and them a ride worth the pesos. Turning to the lyrics you can tell why Nathan invokes his right to be forceful. Look who has popped in to say hello or...goodbye in this case. It's the Angel of Death and Mercy. Release from the day to day cage has been requested. Not to worry...very soon my child. Nate gets an A for knowing how to incorporate a simile into his technique. "Like a cripple without his cane" spares nothing for the imagination. Nathan has icicles in his veins that he wants warmed until he's numb. That's a mighty bad week/life he has working for him. Darkness has fallen. Where's the jailhouse guard to give him his freedom?. He'll go so far as to request that someone drop him in the cold muddy water so his personal purgatory might be eased a shade. At first listen to both chorus and bridge I got these sensational '80s metal flashbacks. They were a welcome visitor. It's of great value when a rock act knows how to execute balance in both song structure and technical display. You don't have to rob emotional Peter to pay Paul. Shaman's Harvest has passed that test. I wouldn't say Shaman's Harvest merits classification as post-grunge although maybe the hovering doom and gloom in the lyrics emerges to prove me wrong. I know when rock's lethal sting has me where it wants me. It's difficult not to grant respect for how the chorus fuses the best of the players' vocal ranges. Gone are traces of overselling the dramatics. Shaman's Harvest gets what tightly executed hooks are supposed to sound like. Let's hear it for the band sticking with it long enough to cut this beauty. Many marriages, musical or otherwise, don't reach 20 years, at least not without backbiting, salacious extracurricular activities, and the not uncommon cocaine fueled tragedy. Shaman's Harvest is still ticking. "In Chains" frees itself from any timidity rooting around underneath the band's visage. That's what sparks legends.