It’s been a long time since Shai Hulud’s 2008 album “Misanthropy Pure”. And I’m glad to claim that their well-known, passionate, and affecting music survived through the years.
Their new album “Reach Beyond The Sun”, released via Metal Blade Records, managed to find a good balance between a modern and an old-school hardcore sound. This is usually a thing only legends are capable of doing without a crappy result.
A lot of expectations developed around this album especially because of the comeback of former vocalist Chad Gilbert. He was the original vocalist on the band’s debut EP “A Profound Hatred of Man” and debut album “Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion”, both released in 1997, and in 1998 through the split album with Indecision. After that, Chad left the band and released nine albums and three EPs with pop punk band New Found Glory playing guitar. He’s also worked on several other projects in that time. Chad is also known to be a great producer. He worked with bands like H2O, A Day To Remember, Terror, Trapped Under Ice, Set Your Goals, and now he has produced Shai Hulud’s “Reach Beyond The Sun”, doing an good job both singing and producing the album.
This record definitely lives up to expectations for the most part. It features amazing guitar work by the founding member Matt Fox. It’s fast and refined, melodic and powerful, deep and creative. You can immediately see this from the first tracks of the album, “The Mean Spirits, Breathing”, “I, Saturnine”, and the title-track “Reach Beyonfd The Sun”.
Chad did an impressive job with the lyrics and the vocals. Such passionate and intense delivery emerges from each song. I must say that he was helped by a lot of amazing guest appearances. The band’s former vocalists Matt Mazalli, Damien Moyal, and Geert van der Velde all sang on “Medicine Of The Dead”. Other appearances included Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme) on “A Human Failing”, Luis Hernandez (Alpha & Omega) on “Man Into Demon: and Their Faces are Twisted With the Pain of Living”, and Jon Vigil (The Ghost Inside) on “If A Mountain be My Obstacle”.
This is a truly touching and strongly moshable hardcore album. It also accepts some metalcore influences and modern features without sacrificing the band’s authentic roots. “Reach Beyond The Sun” definitely deserves recognition and respect.
– MATTIA
