Sunday Sludge: Shroud Eater - "Dead Ends"

Believe it or not, I've got friends who farm for a living. No, they don't harvest human organs; they work the land, feed the livestock, and gather fresh eggs to sell when they get to town. One such friend was having trouble figuring out why his dairy cows hadn't been producing. Not only that, but why were they so fucking ornery? Turns out it only takes a little standing water and some faulty low-current wiring to slowly and continually electrocute your cows to the point of non-production. I guess I'd be pissed, too.

Speaking of low, steady electric currents, Miami's Shroud Eater are back with Dead Ends, their follow-up to 2011's masterful ThunderNoise. Buzzing relentlessly and crushing at every corner, this five-track bruiser showcases once-promising up-and-comers fully hitting their stride and evolving into stoner-sludge titans. Shroud Eater's savage genre-blending sound crawls from the pits and lurches toward summits, knocking flat every hut and lean-to they cross.

Take shelter in a soggy cave as Cannibals opens the album with primitive, apocalyptic screams and scurries.  Fireball riffs rain, dropping heavier with passing moments on this hooded-prophet signal of impending despair. Standing cocksure on its own legs, Cannibals also crafts an enticing introduction to Sudden Plague. The slow churn of thick doom is met with spit-rhythm pick-up, crafting a misty aura to complement Felipe Torres' pummels. When the pendulum slows, collected moss ferments for one final awesome push.

Stoner groove meanders along the slow molten passages of Lord of the Sword. The dual vocal of Jean Saiz and Janette Valentine is a sonic bully, disparaging the newly dead beneath an awesome veil of fuzz. Teeming with drone and swampy hiss, listeners enter a misty mountain nightmare of smoke and fear. Lord whirs with more juice than a toaster tea-bagging a bathtub, and a slow crawl toward perfection documents Shroud Eater's increasingly impressive songcraft.

There's not a grain of fluff on this record. Gradual swelling comes to a head via the hovering fuzz of Tempest, where the band hit not only their most effortless gait but also their most unctuous pinnacle.  Chains dragged behind a muddy swamp cruiser break for campfire reflections, but keep your senses piqued. That gnarly purr returns to numb your skin and bleed your head. Saiz's brilliantly-executed guitar realizations leave behind the track's foggy reprieves on what promises to be the year's finest stoner-sludge moment.

Front to back thickness is prescribed on The Star and The Serpent, a sinewy closer bred of crunches and shifts. The track knocks around and is better off for it, but each element is given its banner here. Torres lost his sticks, leaving him no choice but to thump with human femurs. Valentine's bass guides the track's thorax, meeting Death's bony index finger in a sea of echoes. The heavy is soon fully uncorked, flooding the barren plains with an endless barrage of massive riffs and tight licks. Call it the perfect closeout, sure. But this one track encapsulates everything that's incredible about this band.

With Dead Ends, Shroud Eater take their largest leap and land on both feet. Cavernous despair has never been so timely or tasty, and the chilling atmospheres parallel the stomp of nebulous doom. Though Dead Ends advances the band's themes, sounds, and moods, this album is light years beyond their previous foxtrots with excellence. Page Hamilton advised "carve your niche," and this band has done just that. There's no longer a place for "Shroud Eater sound like so-and-so." We'll soon be writing "So-and-so sound like Shroud Eater."

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Seth's Top 11 of '11

Hell. I just spent nearly six seconds scribbling a list of 2011's top albums and it somehow caught fire. I managed to salvage the wreckage and now struggle to read my own handwriting, but here's the juice: 2011 was one fuckin' fat year. My world of metal expanded far beyond the reaches of my most reliable belt. From thick, murky, crust-vomit sludge to soaring atmospheric soundscapes, this year stretched boundaries and broadened the spectrum. When I wasn't pretending to love my day job, I was casually admiring dozens of the finest heavy albums the year offered. I'll do my best to scale back the dick-suckin' diatribes, but these albums had me at "dude... you gotta hit this shit."

1. Rwake - "Rest"

"This sludge/doom opus is so broad in vision and scope, I can make no promise this discourse will suffice in validating the exhaustive (and exhausting) beauty of these six tracks. I almost feel like a violator of someone's very personal, metaphysical glaze; this haunting roll through layers of pensive fog is gonna leave a mark."




2. Ironweed - "Your World of Tomorrow"

"Ironweed have struck an incredible balance between their instruments, creating a sound that is confident, honest, and ultimately indisputable. The production of the album is slick, the track selection is dead-on. Ironweed have put together an album that's meaningful without being pretentious, heavy without being over-stuffed, and precise without being clean. What a cool vibe."




3. Vultures At Arms Reach - "+)))((()))((()))((()))-"

"+)))((()))((()))((()))- is 25 haunting and atmospheric minutes that soar, drift, and march to the beat of an otherworldly ocean of sound. Spend some time with this one and see where you're taken. You may find yourself losing track of time, needing less sleep, and fantasizing about a life that doesn't so closely resemble hell. The mood grows ominous and you begin to wonder just what impact this solid three-track EP is gonna have on your frame."



4. Black Cobra - "Invernal"

"This riff-oriented collection is far too immense and far too fast to serve as background music while you wash dishes. Give it your full attention. Let it wear you out like the drunk whore at your block party, and make sure you ask for seconds. Invernal will burn and blister, but it's gonna heal a lot better than the stupid tribal tattoo you just sat through."




5. The Dive - Self-titled

"From the album's ashy lead-off stroke to the final breath of the hidden track's primal, organic, and effortless amalgam, The Dive roll through smoky psychedelic jams that no debut album should rightly boast. Soaring, moon-shot riffs, grooving tempos, and a brilliant vocal high-five make this self-titled the perfect soundtrack to a snakebite hospital rush. Enjoy this; it may not happen again."


6. Wizard Smoke - "The Speed of Smoke"

"From beginning to end, The Speed of Smoke oozes otherworldly psychedelia, doom/stoner grooves, and prog-rock leanings. This is one of the better albums you’ll hear this year. The track placement is perfect, the sounds are jaw-dropping, and the heavy is incessant. Put The Speed of Smoke on your “must-hear” list of 2011 and sit back as you’re guided through a black cosmos."




7. Swamp Witch - "Gnosis"

"Ridiculously slow, heathenistic sludge from the bowels of some clandestine swamp located in Oakland, CA., Swamp Witch decimate your ears with eerie bellowing howls, slipshod grooves, mind-numbing feedback, and a daunting unholiness." - Reg






8. Ethereal Riffian - "Shaman's Visions"

"These thirty minutes have plenty to offer, and you won't be disappointed. Whether it's sludge, doom, stoner, et cetera, you'll find it here. What you'll also find is a trip to a dense, sweltering, untouched world of groove and mist. Bring a backpack, a canteen, and a useless map. Ethereal Riffian is taking you deep into some pretty cool places."



9. City of Ships - "Minor World"

"This album is evanescent. You'll think this is a two-way street, you'll buzz from the stomach-pit butterflies, and then you'll have the rug pulled out from under you. But, of course... you'll go back for more. On Minor World, this trio manages to deliver an effort of staggering thickness, congenial sadness, and wandering cosmic acceptance."




10. Shroud Eater - "ThunderNoise"

Shroud Eater is the reason I write for Heavy Planet. Reg featured them, Toby interviewed them, I bought their cd and t-shirt. ThunderNoise sounds like a spring morning, if spring mornings are cloudy, wet, and fraught with brilliant sludge/doom descent. Few bands play this hard.




11. Belzebong - "Sonic Scapes and Weedy Grooves"

"This twice-baked sack o' ditch is packed with serious sludge and gorgeously fuzzy feedback. Don't bogart it; Belzebong brought plenty of supplies on Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves. Your parole agent is gonna be pissed, but Belzebong can take you somewhere he'll never follow. Their Kansas Grass ain't no schwag, son. This swirling, thumping kush frolic is the perfect, uh... score to an after-school session with your pals. Clear your calendar.



I won't call this honorable mention, that sounds terrible. Let's call it "Ten More Albums That Blistered Your Ass":

Weedeater - "Jason The Dragon"
Carcinogenic Corpse - "Noise Farm"
Borracho - "Splitting Sky"
Ponamero Sundown - "Rodeo Electrica"
Giantrider - Self-Titled
Elvis Deluxe - "Favourite State of Mind"
Using Bridge - "And I Will Be Heard"
Archon - "The Ruins At Dusk"
BOAR - Self-titled
Mastodon - "The Hunter"

Hollow Leg/Shroud Eater Mini Tour

Two of the awesome bands Hollow Leg and Shroud Eater from the "March Bandness" tournament are doing a mini tour. If you are from these areas do yourself a favor and check them out live!

HOLLOW LEG/SHROUD EATER (BEER, BACON, AND BLUNTS MINI TOUR) MARCH 2011

TUESDAY MARCH 22 @ STAY TRUE TATTOO IN ST AUGUSTINE, FL W/THUNDERER
AND DEAD SOUTHERN BISHOP

WEDNESDAY MARCH 23 @ THE HIGHLAND INN BALLROOM IN ATLANTA, GA W/DEMONAUT

THURSDAY MARCH 24 @ 1126 HOUSE IN HATTIESBURG, MS W/TBD

FRIDAY MARCH 25 @ HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW THRIFT IN BATON ROUGE, LA
W/OMEAN AND BHANG KHANG

SATURDAY MARCH 26 @ SIBERIA IN NEW ORLEANS, LA W/OMEAN AND BHANG KHANG

Interview with Shroud Eater

I recently caught up with Jeannie Saiz (guitars/vocals) of Miami alt/stoner/sludge rock trio Shroud Eater to talk about her band's latest album ThunderNoise, their diverse tastes in artwork...from puking corpses to pinup girls...and the will to overcome anything, including homelessness, to live your dreams.

Heavy Planet: Hey Jeannie, hope all is well. Congratulations on your new record ThunderNoise. Talk to me a little bit about the album…for those Heavy Planet readers who may have never heard Shroud Eater before, what can they expect?

Jeannie Saiz: Loud Fucking Music! The album is pretty aggressive, sitting somewhere sonically between Helmet, High on Fire and Kyuss, so I’ve been told.

HP: Now you guys worked with Torche's Jonathan Nunez on your 2009 self-titled EP, right? How did that collaboration come about? Was Jonathan also involved with the new album?

JS: Janette (bass) and myself, in our previous band...we had recorded an EP with Jon, and we became friends after that. We really loved his work with our old band and obviously the work he’s done, not just in Torche but many other heavy bands, so we knew right off the bat that we wanted him to help mix and master the EP. For the full-length, his touring schedule was pretty crazy so he wasn’t able to work on it.

HP: You guys are from Miami…is there a pretty tight knit music scene down there right now…particularly when it comes to stoner/doom type stuff?

JS: There is a really weird and eclectic music scene down here. Miami is NOT a city for heavy rock - most people here wanna dance and party, so there’s a big emphasis on electronic/house music, latin rock and stuff. That’s pretty popular, but there’s also more of an underground music thing that’s popping up now which is pretty rad. There is a tight knit community amongst the punk and hardcore scenes, but really stoner/doom/sludge is not particularly prevalent. As of late we have turned our warehouse rehearsal space into a DIY venue to host shows for ourselves and bring sludge and doom bands in from out of town, so we are trying to get more people turned on to this music.

HP: I understand your drummer Felipe Torres spent some time out west and was actually homeless for a stretch. I assume this was prior to his time in Shroud Eater? How did you hook up with him?

JS: Yeah Felipe came to the U.S. from Colombia and lived here in Florida for a bit. He got the itch to go out west so he rented a U-Haul with all of his shit and hit the road. He had a hard time finding work at first, and spent a few months playing drums on Venice Beach to make money, and basically lived out of his truck. He’s a lucky guy and very resourceful and eventually from drumming on the beach he met some people who got him work. He’s got awesome stories of meeting rock stars out in L.A., everyone from Gene Hoglan to Robert Trujillo. Anyway, he jammed with a few bands out there but it wasn’t really his thing, and a lot of his family was here in Florida so he ended up coming back. I think about 6 months or so after he returned we made contact through a Craigslist ad and jammed, and basically that’s how we hooked up and started making music.

HP: So both ThunderNoise and the self-titled EP have some really cool artwork, with sort of a Night of the Living Dead meets Charles Schulz thing going on. You do all of the band's artwork, isn't that right? Do you do other stuff besides the album covers? Where can we check out some of your work?

JS: Yeah I do all of the artwork at the moment, and thank you for the kind words! Basically band-related things are the only outlet I have now for my artwork. Besides album covers, tee shirts and things, I also try my hardest to do hand-drawn flyers for our shows and tours, or other people’s albums, shows and tours should they ask for my help. I don’t really have a website or anything with my artwork, although Janette has been literally hassling me everyday to do just that.


HP: And I'm told your bass player Janette is a pin-up photographer? Seems like Shroud Eater is quite the eclectic trio. Where can we check out some of Janette's photography?

JS: Yeah we have a lot of things going on beyond band stuff. Janette started doing pin-up themed photography like 5 or 6 years ago here in Miami. She’s worked her ass off and has a kick-ass photo studio (in the same building where we practice!) and has a team of ladies that do all the era-themed hair and makeup. It’s pretty funny because she runs this business that’s totally girly, all pink and polka dots and make-up and it’s like the diametrical opposite of what we’re doing musically. A lot of her clients get all excited when she tells them she’s in a band - everyone expects her to play rockabilly or like girly music, then they check us out and they’re floored. Lately she’s also been trying to photograph more bands just to diversify what she does - she recently did Torche’s new press photos! You can check out Janette’s work at www.terriblygirly.com.

HP: I have to ask, what was the inspiration behind the name Shroud Eater (which is a great name by the way)?

JS: I was checking my email one morning and I saw this story about a 15th century skeleton found in an archeological dig in Venice. The thing is, the skeleton had a brick shoved into its mouth, which, at the time meant that the corpse was thought to be a “Shroud Eater” - a corpse who kills the living through disease and pestilence from the grave. It was such a macabre and gruesome sounding story, and I thought the name Shroud Eater was pretty cool, so it stuck. Plus, every band name that you can think of is already taken, and Shroud Eater was not, so that totally sealed the deal.

HP: So what's next for the band? Any big touring plans for the Spring/Summer months?

JS: We are touring in March with our buds in HOLLOW LEG - we’re moving through St. Augustine, FL, then Atlanta, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, with one date still pending! Otherwise we have a slew of local shows, including the “You Are Doomed” Fest in Orlando on April 23rd. I’d like to start booking a longer east coast tour that would take us up through New York, but that would be for later on in the Summer.

HP: Well I don't know if you've heard or not, but Heavy Planet is doing a big music tournament right now, pitting 64 of the coolest stoner/doom/sludge bands against each other and allowing fans to vote for their favorites. Shroud Eater is matched up against Borracho, a band from my town Washington, DC. Make sure you update all of your social media sites and get your fans over to Heavy Planet to vote you guys into the second round!

JS: Definitely! And thank you for including us!

HP: Hey listen Jeannie, thanks a lot for your time and good luck with ThunderNoise and all of the other projects you guys have going on. Hopefully we'll see you on the road in the near future.

For those of you in the southern states, keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Shroud Eater shows in a town near you and be sure to check out their latest album ThunderNoise.


3/19/11 - Ft. Lauderdale, Fl - The Dive Bar
3/22/11 - St. Augustine, Fl - Stay True Tattoo
3/23/11 - Atlanta, Ga - Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge
3/25/11 - Baton Rouge, La - Here Today Gone Tomorrow Thrift
3/26/11 - New Orleans, La - Siberia
4/08/11 - Ft. Lauderdale, Fl - The Monterey Club
4/14/11 - Miami, Fl - Beelzebub's Cave
4/23/11 - Orlando, Fl - Will's Pub
5/06/11 - Miami, Fl - Beelzebub's Cave
5/19/11 - Miami, Fl - Chum Bucket

Band Members:

Jeannie Saiz - Guitars/Vocals
Janette Valentine - Bass
Felipe Torres - Drums



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New Band To Burn One To-Shroud Eater

Today's "New Band To Burn One To" is Shroud Eater from Miami, Fl.

"Inspired by a common love of the dark and dirty sounds of late 70's heavy metal and 90's alternative, stoner and sludge rock, SHROUD EATER emerges as a three-pronged sewer beast onto the sunny façade of Miami, Florida. Merging gruff howlings with an arsenal of roughhewn, ragged riffs and locomotive rhythms, the band erupts with an impassioned fury that portrays the beating they dish out through the power of their music."

The band has just recently released a 3-song EP to some pretty good reviews, check'em out!

"HEY YOU! Yeah, you with the Melvins t-shirt and the High On Fire LP under your arm...wanna hear somethin' new and totally killer? Wanna hear some dude cavemanning the fuck out of his drums, while depth-charging bass rampages under dirty, nasty FILTHY dark fuzzed out guitar? Wanna hear some of the ballsiest female vocals these ears have heard in many a year? YOU DO? Then you NEED to hear SHROUD EATER!" Read more...

"Shroud Eater are a Miami, FL trio that plays, what they themselves describe as “loud and heavy rock’n'roll”. This is their self-titled demo / EP and, by all means, it sounds as good as any band with lengthier history. Its a modern day metal/sludge/rock done right – with all the ferocity (and a certain amount of groove) that one can expect from such band." Read more...

www.myspace.com/shroudeaterrocks
www.shroudeaterrocks.com