Shrinebuilder - S/T (2009) [Neurot Recordings] // Grade: A

Nuerosis, Sleep, OM, the Melvins and Saint Vitus. If you like any of those bands, you’ll want to pick up Shrinebuilder. Hell, if you listened to any of those bands and you haven’t heard of Shrinebuilder, you need to pull your head out of the sand. Scott Weinrich aka Wino, Scott Kelly, Al Cisneros and Dale Crover make up this mega-doom super-group. I’ve been wanting to review this album for months. When I got it, I was beyond excited, but man, it’s a hard project to describe or even critique. Like most super-groups, my expectations were low. Egos usually take hold and the band fails at coming together to produce a cohesive CD. With Shrinebuilder I had a little more hope in the doom humanity. The lineup is awesome (aside from Wino, who is entirely hit or miss for me). Scott Kelly and Al Cisneros bring a lot to the mix with Dale Crover adding some Houdini-era Melvins drums. Each member shares their vocals with melodic equilibrium. No one is competing for a singular voice or sound and everyone’s somehow mixed their own previous and present projects into the album without making it sound like a stoner’s mashup mixtape.

“Solar Benediction” sounds like a lost Saint Vitus track. Almost exactly like Saint Vitus, until the drums and bass kick in and shit gets heavy. Here’s when I don’t like Wino being Wino. He’s too over-the-top for my taste. It’s not until the track gets dark and heavy that I really get into it. “Pyramid of the Moon” has got to be one of the better doom songs I’ve heard in a long time. Slow and melodic in the beginning, much to Scott Kelly and Wino’s doing; a lot like Neurosis. Towards the end, the track morphs into Sleep or OM’s best work. Al Cisneros’ back vocals chant as Crover’s drums and Kelly’s riffs create a atmosphere suitable for a dimmly-lit room and tons of reverb. This is by far my favorite track on the album. It’s so beautifully crafted and a perfect example of how, when properly done, super-groups really can produce wonderful music. I can only imagine how well this will translate to a life performance.

“Blind for All to See” opens with Cisneros’ characteristic bass lines that have been cultivated for many years and are now almost an expected sound to all his projects. Is it OM? Is it Sleep? Depends, but given Cisneros’ past experience, his contribution to Shrinebuilder is one of saving grace. Al has a certain way of creating melodic basslines that really shape the environment of a song. After about a minute and half, Kelly’s riffs enter, shifting the song into a sea of Neurosis. Again, it’s really hard to not describe the familiar sounds in this album without referring to each member’s projects, but somehow it works.

“The Architect” is my least favorite track on the disk. It’s the shortest track and it’s a harsh awakening after the previous 3 tracks. Then at the end, they try to slow it down by shoving Cisneros into it. “Here ya go man, take the last 20 seconds of this track, I know you don’t like it but we need 5 songs for the album…”. It stinks, but it does lead into “Science of Anger” quite well. Another Wino beginning that is overtaken by Cisneros’ monk-like chanting and soothing basslines.

Overall, for a super-group with a 3-day time slot in the recording studio, Shrinebuilder delivers. Think about it. These members were in bands that single-handily shaped the face of the stoner doom genre for decades to come and for 3 days they all came together to make one album. It’s almost as if they knew the end of the world was coming and they had to create the perfect sound for the apocalypse. Worship the sky, worship Shrinebuilder! With the last few seconds of the album drifting out, Shrinebuilder beckons you to lay back and come around again.