The Shallow
We were recently put onto The Shallow, a 5 piece band hailing from King’s Lynn who formed in 2012. Setting out and immediately working hard to form their aggressive and eclectic sound, this is a band who work to bring a sense of diversity to their music, drawing on a range of influences and approaches to offer up their unique sound. The band were kind enough to send us through a copy of their debut EP, Hope In Hell, to see what we thought – so I hit play to see what was on offer.
Please note – the order of the tracks in the review does not necessarily represent the order of the tracks on the EP, merely the order in which the tracks downloaded onto my laptop.
As Twin Peaks leads us into things there’s one suggestion that’s clear, this is going to be a heavy and hard hitting ride from start to finish. Powerful guitars, roaring vocals and heavy bass rhythms – this sets things up very nicely indeed.
Soon kicking into being properly with Death of A Thin Skinned Animal we’re led into a raw and in your face mix of hammering guitar work, pained roars and hammering rhythms. What’s most interesting about the opening moments is how the band have taken a really heavy and raw sound, yet added in intricate guitar lines and roving bass rhythms to elevate things, pushing their mix up to a whole new level. From start to finish we’re shown a taster of the power on offer from The Shallow, from roaring gang vocals through to impressive and intricate instrumental work, resulting in a track which is almost catchy in places, yet refuses to stumble into the pitfalls of music which tries to be something it’s not – in short, it’s straight forward and honest. Father offers up a similar approach, once again kicking into being before building on the mix which we’re offered up. Powerful vocals and more of that awesome intricate guitar work, this is another track which refuses simplicity and instead, carves its own route through the world of metal.
Signalling a slight change for The Shallow Diamond Wretch, things move towards a far more post-hardcore style approach, kicking into rolling double bass, roaring vocals and the knowledge that when this hits, the pits are going to go mad. Once again refusing to simply work their way through the track, we’re shown element after element, approach after approach, all of which propels this track to a whole new level and standing, and shows that The Shallow are a band we should probably be taking note of.
It’s interesting that The Shallow seem to have set out with an idea of the sound they wanted to go for, and have shifted their sound thanks to their various influences and approaches, resulting in tracks which are heavy, in your face, raw and distorted, yet complex at the same time. From heavy guitar work through to soaring lead lines, this EP has it all – setting the guys up to get some serious attention from here onwards.
To find out more about The Shallow, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Please note – the order of the tracks in the review does not necessarily represent the order of the tracks on the EP, merely the order in which the tracks downloaded onto my laptop.
As Twin Peaks leads us into things there’s one suggestion that’s clear, this is going to be a heavy and hard hitting ride from start to finish. Powerful guitars, roaring vocals and heavy bass rhythms – this sets things up very nicely indeed.
Soon kicking into being properly with Death of A Thin Skinned Animal we’re led into a raw and in your face mix of hammering guitar work, pained roars and hammering rhythms. What’s most interesting about the opening moments is how the band have taken a really heavy and raw sound, yet added in intricate guitar lines and roving bass rhythms to elevate things, pushing their mix up to a whole new level. From start to finish we’re shown a taster of the power on offer from The Shallow, from roaring gang vocals through to impressive and intricate instrumental work, resulting in a track which is almost catchy in places, yet refuses to stumble into the pitfalls of music which tries to be something it’s not – in short, it’s straight forward and honest. Father offers up a similar approach, once again kicking into being before building on the mix which we’re offered up. Powerful vocals and more of that awesome intricate guitar work, this is another track which refuses simplicity and instead, carves its own route through the world of metal.
Signalling a slight change for The Shallow Diamond Wretch, things move towards a far more post-hardcore style approach, kicking into rolling double bass, roaring vocals and the knowledge that when this hits, the pits are going to go mad. Once again refusing to simply work their way through the track, we’re shown element after element, approach after approach, all of which propels this track to a whole new level and standing, and shows that The Shallow are a band we should probably be taking note of.
It’s interesting that The Shallow seem to have set out with an idea of the sound they wanted to go for, and have shifted their sound thanks to their various influences and approaches, resulting in tracks which are heavy, in your face, raw and distorted, yet complex at the same time. From heavy guitar work through to soaring lead lines, this EP has it all – setting the guys up to get some serious attention from here onwards.
To find out more about The Shallow, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls