Shepherds Reign : "Ala Mai"

Seeing how this band is from New Zealand it might be tempting to compare them to Alien Weaponry, but they way they blend the tribal folk of their homeland into the fabric of their songs, feels more to me like what Sepultura did on the "Roots" album. That is not to say that these guys are as heavy as Sepultura , as they are not, in fact I would be more inclined to think of the first song as hard rock rather than metal at all. The vocals are bellowed out in a booming baritone, that sometimes get rough around then edges, but never really dropping into a death metal growl. Their songs are hooky enough for what they are doing and sometimes take on more of a 90s bounce. 

They are not to shabby when it comes to ripping a solo. Though I would not say this is the most original guitar sound I have heard a band bring to the table. They are big on syncopated grooves, though a few songs into dishing them out they begin to take on a uniformity. "Ua Masaa" is the first song that I would think of as being heavy. I think the more melodic vocal on the song "Ala Mai" works better as a juxtaposition against the hammering drums behind it, to make it perhaps the albums best song , as it does it's own thing rather than conform to the current state of rock radio.  

"the Worlds Bleeds" tries really hard to be Slipknot, the trade off of the vocal delivery borrowing heavily from Corey Taylor. If you are into guitar solos this album has a great deal of them for you . "Cold Summers Night" is a strummed out ballad that is just not my thing, as it reminds me of Staind. I prefer the darker shade of introspection that graces "Finally". Sure the song has more of a Godsmack feel when it builds momentum, but it works for what these guys do. Does a rock album really need two ballads on it? If you ask these guys they are going to say yes. 

The album is well produced and the sounds captured  have a larger than feel. Sometimes things reminds me of post- Black album Metallica. The last song is  "Somoa mo Somoa" which is the most metal song of the album. I will give this album an 8.5, as it's really well done , even the moments I am not stylistically into or are a little too radio friendly for my personal tastes. But for what they are doing they are better than bands like the Hu, as their heritage is blended in with more fluid grace.