Released by: Mascot Records
Release date: 28 July 2017
Genre: Hard Rock
Links: https://shamansharvest.com/home , https://www.facebook.com/shamansharvest
Line-up:
Nathan Hunt – lead vocals
Josh Hamler – rhythm guitar
Matt Fisher – bass
Derrick Shipp – lead guitar
Adam Zemanek – drums
Tracklist:
01. Red Hands Black Deeds (prelude)
02. Broken Ones
03. The Come Up
04. A longer View
05. Soul Crusher
06. Off The Tracks
07. Long Way Home
08. The Devil In Our Wake
09. Blood Trophies
10. So Long
11. Tusk And Bones
12. Scavengers
Red Hands Black Deeds is Shaman’s Harvests sixth studio album. Hailing from the American south, Jefferson City, Missouri to be exact, and you can easily hear southern rock influence from the get go on this album. Red Hands Black Deeds (Prelude) has a funeral dirge vibe to it, before cranking up the tempo with Broken Ones. The Come Up has a rocking bass-line that you cannot but stomp your feet along to. A Longer View slows things down again with poignant lyrics and equally respectful vocals from Nathan Hunt, surprisingly this is actually my favourite track off the album. I usually go for more upbeat tracks, but for some reason A Longer View has struck a chord. Soul Crusher continues this tempo and theme, before things pick up tempo wise with Off The Tracks, which is pleasingly foot tapping and bouncy.
Long Way Home is a lighter in the air ballad, with more blues added into the mix for a nice pleasing chilled track. This chilled feeling is soon usurped by The Devil In Our Wake, with its brooding intro before dance drum beats make way to the strong melody and deep vocals, Blood Trophies continues with the broodiness of the previous track but slows it down to a similar tempo of A Longer View. So Long is rocking from the very first note, and is what you would call the angry song of the album, and what a great angry song it is, why did it take you so long to get to this track, and why is it only three minutes long? Tusk And Bones is the acoustic track, and allows Nathan Hunt to showcase his vocal abilities without the competition of the amped up instruments.
The Album finishes with Scavengers. Picking up the western desert, tumbleweed feeling is easily imaginable listening to this track. This whole album invokes visions of the deserted Midwest highways, with its associated expansive landscapes, as desolate environment that is often seen in movies. With roadside diners and small towns dotted along, each song on this album can easily be placed somewhere along here.
Oh, and at the end of Scavengers, don’t rush to turn of the album, give it a few seconds for a special treat.
Written by: Kalli Isborne
Ratings: 8/10