ALBUM REVIEW: Shroud Eater - "Strike the Sun"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 7/07/2017

Label: STB Records |

Primitive Violence Records

From the eerie, ambient opening to the final crescendo, “Strike the Sun” is a rare “all killer, no filler” beast of a record.  By crafting a truly timeless album, Shroud Eater have managed to distinguish themselves as one of the noteworthy purveyors of American metal. 

“Strike the Sun”CD//CS//DD//LP track listing

1. Smokeless Fire

2. Iron Mountain

3. Awaken Assassin

4. Another Skin

5. Dream Flesh

6. It Walks Among

7. Unseen Hand

8. Futile Exile

The Review

With the deluge of heavy bands churning out consistently crushing work, some stellar records manage to lurk at the edges of my consciousness well past the initial release date.  Shroud Eater’s second full length, their first for STB Records, dropped all the way back in July, but has garnered immediate, deserved praise.  It’s a perfect summer selection: the blistering heat and stifling humidity of the band’s home base – Miami, Florida – practically pools around the speakers with every shredding riff and swinging drum fill.  But as the autumn days grow colder in the northeast, “Strike the Sun”reveals new, ominous facets.  From the eerie, ambient opening to the final crescendo, “Strike the Sun” is a rare “all killer, no filler” beast of a record.  By crafting a truly timeless album, Shroud Eater have managed to distinguish themselves as one of the noteworthy purveyors of American metal. 

Intro track “Smokeless Fire” hints at Shroud Eater’s melodic mysticism underlying Strike the Sun’scrackling exterior: Valentine’sethereal vocals serve as a haunting prelude to the bashing Iron Mountain.  Like a slightly less haggard Matt Pike, Jeannie Saiz’s vocals straddle distinct melody and hardcore barks.  Most improbably, Saiz’s lyrics are actually discernable while being gritty – no mean feat among the standard death growlers and shriekers glutting the metal market.  “Awaken Assassin” may be my go to pick for my “just listen to this one track and you’ll see what I’m talking about” for Shroud Eater – both melodic and soaking in sludge filth, it’s the sinister standout of the record. 

Which isn’t to say “Strike the Sun” ever falters.  Instrumental cut “Another Skin”showcases the band’s technical skill without being a pyrotechnic wank-fest, while “Dream Flesh” evokes the melodies and delicate vocal harmonies of “Smokeless Fire”.  “It Walks Among” lays waste to this brief reprieve, smashing the band back into hellish crunch, highlighted by subtle guitar harmonies that are, frankly, breathtaking.  Davin Sosa’s drum work really shines in “It Walks Among” and balances tribal beats with complex fills in “Unseen Hand.”  Album closer “Futile Exile” acts as a perfect bookend, encapsulating the disparate, remarkable elements Shroud Eater wield so well: intricate picking, smashing power chords complemented by crushing bass tone, clean vocal harmonies and a menacing, croaked finale that feels exhausting and empowering all at once. 

“Strike the Sun” is available here (LP) and here(CS)

Band info: facebook|| bandcamp