Tuesday 21 October 2014

SHOTO

BandSHOTO
GenresHeaviness / Doom / Ambient / Hardcore / Metal / Beards / Caves / Gargoyles
Related artistsThe Reptilian.
CountryKalamazoo, Michigan USA
Years Active2013-present
Song: "1"
Album: "Shoto"
Year: 2014
Label(s): End Note Records
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #11.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Mare, Isis, Back When, Intronaut, Old Man GloomThe Abandoned Hearts Club, Kowloon Walled City and lots of other really heavy bands that I don't usually listen to and therefore cannot name...Cannibal Corpse? Fuck, I dunno.

SHOTO is new concoction of Mighiganites (folk from Michigan, USA) that I had the pleasure of meeting at a live show in Kalamazoo on March 2nd, 2014 which you can watch here. I had already spoken with Mark on facebook groups (drummer) and was involved with another member (Josh/guitar) through the amazing Seventeen Again and met the final member (Brok/bass) briefly at the merch...area, who used to play for The Reptilian. Well guess what? This review is short because for the most part when people ask me what SHOTO sounds like, I always respond with the same one-word sentence and see how they react, "heavy". So...yeah, that applies here.

This is so fucking heavy I feel like it is compressing my brain. Track "1" wastes no time letting you know this is not for the weak, poppy or happy. I'm going on sound alone, but man it's like doom sped up a little bit so it's really heavy and slow hardcore/metal with lots of breakdowns. There are two vocalists, and they both are demonic (let's not kid ourselves) in their own right. The bat-like shrieks from Josh and gutteral bellows from Brok remind me of the 9th circle of hell, assuming they really do play good music down there.

"2" showcases more brooding, distorted bass that sounds like it has risen up from a geyser. The rest of the song moves along nicely, not unlike Kowloon Walled City and Mare in the way the slow riffs wash over the listener. "4" is hellish, blistering and over right after it begins, at a tight and dense 1:24. "5" is a fantastic building song that kinda falls apart near the end but definitely shows the band's versatility on the record - imagine their "Afgahmistam", if you will.

Be sure to check these fellas out, especially if they play near you! One more time, SHOTO = HEAVY.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Shoto cassetteLP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2014) SHOTO - "1" (from 'Shoto')

(2014) SHOTO - "4" (from 'Shoto')

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SHOTO additional links
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