Album review: SHAI HULUD – Reach Beyond The Sun

Metal Blade – Out Now.

Hardcore is a genre that operates within clearly defined parameters and which obeys strict rules; it is a genre that’s long been associated with massive simply-crafted and highly energised Punk-sounding riffs and passionate shouting vocals.

So finding Prog-inclined rhythmical changes and atmospheric lead melodies in such a style of music could be seen as unusual, to say the least; however, that is where “Reach Beyond The Sun”, the fourth studio album of the Florida-based quartet Shai Hulud, comes to prove that there is indeed room for manoeuvring within the genre, providing that the artist in question has the skills and determination needed to undertake such a daring task.

What is it that this band has done to deserve such praise? Like most US Hardcore bands, they have ensured that each of the eleven compositions on the album is packed with solid rhythmical riffs and powerful band vocals, the likes of which are capable of raising the roof of any poor venue hosting a show of this band.

Where they truly excel is in their choice of lead harmonies that they have cleverly placed in strategic spots around the album and in their ability to constantly manipulate the rhythmical structure of their songs without undermining their character and cohesion. These ‘extra touches’ may not be that obvious to the untrained ear but I think that those who really understand what it takes to create a classic Hardcore song will be quite impressed by the band’s ingenuity.

Clear signs of the band’s ability and skill can be found in the opening composition “The Mean Spirits, Breathing”, a song whose ever-changing rhythmical tempos and high energy vocals are an absolute delight to the ear.

Short in duration, but featuring a top quality lead melody, “I, Saturnine” keeps the momentum going, while the same-titled “Reach Beyond The Sun” operates in a more ‘classic’ environment. More catchy melodies can be found in “A Human Filing” while “Man Into Demon: And Their Faces Are Twisted With The Pain Of Living” is as unique in terms of musical delivery as its name.

Half way through the album we get two typical Hardcore compositions, “Medicine To The Dead” and “We Suffer Fools” – the latter featuring the most powerful and, at the same time, catchy refrain of the album.

The last section of the album further showcases the diversity between classic and more, dare I say, “experimental” material, with “Think The Adder Benign” and “If A Mountain Be My Obstacle” belonging in the former and the duet “Monumental Graves”/”At Least A Plausible Cause For Pessimism” finding its rightful place in the latter style.

I am quite sure that old-school Hardcore fans, the likes of which believe that the genre ceased to produce good quality music after Agnostic Front’s “One Voice” (1992), will find many reasons to reject Shai Hulud’s latest studio offering but that would be both sad and unfortunate.

Evolution is part of life and when, in this case, the changes that occur are beneficial both to the band which is undertaking them and the genre which said band has chosen to serve then these changes should be met with approval rather than scepticism. Go on, give “Reach Beyond The Sun” a good spin and see why it truly deserves your support.

John Stefanis

Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)