15 April 2021

SHEM – II (2021, LP Clostridium Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Clostridium Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Marbled Red/Black Vinyl (Includes A2 sized poster and logo sticker), 150 copies

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl (Includes A2 sized poster and logo sticker), 150 copies

Release Date: 5 March 2021

In less than one year, Clostridium Records releases the 2^nd album by Shem (this time on glorious vinyl format), a Stuttgart-based instrumental free-form Impro Jam Space Rock band. (You can check my review on 2020’s “No Songs, Just Sound”, here)

The press release reads:

“On their sophomore album – aptly named “II” – Shem continue their research mission into the deep field of sonic improvisations, following up “The Hill AC” with a 40-minute journey into cosmic abysses, across obscured nightscapes, and into the vastness of space.
Keeping up the momentum with a constant motorik groove, Shem explore both moments of atmospheric calmth and distorted maelstroms of psychedelic bliss, offering the listener a gateway to descend into their realm of musical experimentations once again.
“II” displays the next step in a continuous creative process, and we hope you enjoy delving into these soundscapes as much as we enjoyed creating them!”…

Shem consists of Alexander Gallagher (Guitars), Joel Boye (Guitars), Tobias Brendel (Bass), Alex Meese (Synthesizers), and Benjamin Maier (Drums). “II” includes just 3 long compositions/jams, “Descension” (14:42) is a really heavy improvised jam, guitar-based of course, with lots of feedback and noises… “Night” (6:26), is a slower tune with a kind of a distorted dreamy dark spacey atmosphere that becomes insanely trippy towards its end… “Fall” (19:26) is improvised Space-Rock, hypnotic, emerging a Neo-Kraut intense feeling, progressively transformed into a Heavy Space Rocker… Fans of Impro Space Rock will definitely not going to be disappointed! Space is Deep…TimeLord Michalis