SHENOAH
Bleeding the Red EP
Corporate Punishment Records 2005
www.shenoah.net

What’s the 4-1-1?
The five-song debut EP from the Cleveland, Ohio based band serving notice of a new player on the thrashing metal mad scene.

Genre
Heavy metal / thrash metal / hard rock

The Good
Three songs on the album are REALLY good. The lead cut “Age Of The White Dove” features 3 separate vocal deliveries. It has a melodic lead vocal, the traditional throat ripping metal scream, and in the last portion of the song features spoken word. It’s also got a killer rhythm to the song. “Ashes To Ashes” has more of the traditional melodic vocal stylings to it. “Telephone Bruises” is probably the best song on the album, and it really leans more toward the hard rock scene.

The Bad
While “Bullets And Numbers” and “Scent Of A Dead Rose” unfurl the metal banner loud and proud musically, the cookie monster vocals of Rob Montague on these two songs just become too much for this reviewers ears. I make no bones about preferring a more melodic sound to vocals, and I thought he was excellent on the other three tracks; these two just didn’t cut it with me vocally.

The Verdict
There can be no question about the band’s defiantly thrashy riffs. The hardcore thrash metal fans will probably love this album. It showcases the band’s ability and leaves you to wonder what will a full length album from Shenoah deliver. I just didn’t particularly care for the vocals on two tracks but I’m sure that there is a sizeable portion of the metal audience that will absolutely love everything about them.

Did You Know?
Shenoah was started by former Chimaira guitarist/co-founder Jason Hager. The band dedicated Bleeding In The Red to the late Damageplan/Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.

Rating: out of 5

-- Jay Roberts