by Matt Karpe
– Senior Columnist —
Shaman’s Harvest’s fifth studio album, their first since 2009, finds the band ready to cement their position amongst the best in the U.S. hard rock scene.
Smokin’ Hearts… is the Shaman’s debut release for Mascot Records and after a tumultuous recording process, it is a testimony to the quintets perseverance that this was released at all.
The hero of the album is undoubtedly vocalist Nathan Hunt, who during the recording sessions was diagnosed with a lymph cancer in the throat. Not to be content with sitting it out whilst undergoing serious treatment, Hunt amazingly continued to record on a daily basis to make sure the record was released on time.
Reading this before hearing the finished product, you might feel slightly reserved on what the vocal work may sound like, but rest assured, Nathan Hunt has put on one hell of a performance. The admirable variation in his vocal box makes him stand out from the crowd so put aside the cancer treatment he was undertaking; Mr Hunt is a pretty damn good vocalist in his own right and people should start to take notice of that.
The rest of the band deserve a special mention also because Smokin’ Hearts & Broken Guns includes some exceptional guitar work from Josh Hamler and Ryan Tomlinson (who has since left the band), who contribute some heavy riffs and delicious solo’s. Matt Fisher provides some tasty bass lines and Joe Harrington’s drum work is largely thunderous.
“Dangerous” is a good hard rock anthem that showcases Hunt’s vicious snarl. A stomping chorus made for radio accompanies a nice solo that sets the early pace of the record.
“Here It Comes” is another prime example of hard rock made for the radio airwaves. The verses have an interesting Queens Of the Stone Age southern twang to them, but the chorus rips away the cobwebs once more.
“Ten Million Voices” and the genius of “Dirty Diana” rock hard, and there are some good country-tinged rockers in the form of “Blood In the Water” and the aptly titled “Country As Fuck”, which is fast and almost punky, but it is one of the more enjoyable tracks on the album.
“In Chains” is a candidate for best hard rock song of the year. The chorus is brilliant, made better by the use of some well-placed backing vocals. The guitars riffs are shreddingly good and the drumming is huge. Hunt’s best vocal performance is saved for this song also, making it the standout moment on Smokin’ Hearts …
There are a few slower songs, maybe one too many to be honest, but “In the End” and “Silent Voice”, the latter especially with its piano balladry is easy on the ear. The second half of the track is a great finish to the record, as the guitars and drums return for one last lesson in awesome instrumentation.
Shaman’s Harvest might not bring anything ground-breaking to the hard rock table, but Smokin’ Hearts… is definitely one of the better albums released this year. They don’t seem to get the exposure like similar artists Black Stone Cherry and (dare I say it) Nickelback, but five albums in it may be time for them to make their stock grow a little bigger.
Genre: Hard Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock
Band:
Nathan Hunt- Vocals
Ryan Tomlinson- Lead Guitar
Josh Hamler- Rhythm Guitar
Matt Fisher- Bass
Joe Harrington- Drums
Track Listing:
1. Dangerous
2. Here It Comes
3. Ten Million Voices
4. Blood In the Water
5. The End Of Me
6. Country As Fuck
7. Hero
8. Dirty Diana
9. In the End
10. In Chains
11. Silent Voice
Record Label: Mascot Records
Website: www.shamansharvest.com
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10
