Shai Hulud

Not many bands are forced to fight tooth-and-claw to hold some semblance of a line-up together the way Shai Hulud have. Guitarist Matt Fox and bassist Matthew Fletcher serve as the group's core, with Fox writing most of the songs and primarily contributing lyrics. But a band are more than words and strings, and when it comes to giving Fox's lyrics voice, Shai Hulud have struggled. Reach Beyond the Sun, in fact, represents the first time in the band's history that a singer has appeared on more than one record. Chad Gilbert (of New Found Glory infamy), who also produced the record, supplied vocals very early in his career for Shia Hulud's debut LP, Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion. Despite this struggle to find vocal constancy, Shai Hulud have nonetheless consistently produced excellent, authentic metallic hardcore, and Reach Beyond The Sun is no exception. The pacing is excellent, always at a boil, though sometimes it drops to a low, roiling simmer and other times threatens to bubble over entirely, but it never loses its ability to scald. While complex and intelligent, some elements of the songs become anthemic, even infectious, especially the massive chorus of "To Suffer Fools." Reach Beyond The Sun is a fantastic record to listen to if you simply want to go to war in the pit, but it's also filled with subtlety and nuances for those listeners wishing to dig deeper.