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| Shai HuludThat Within Blood Ill-Tempered2003 Revelation 
  Review by: FortyMinutesWest See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on May 20th 2003 So here it is, the follow-up album that's been awaited almost six years in the making, the album that's been delayed countless times, and quite possibly the album of the year. The hybrid of metal and hardcore has become obnoxiously stale as of late, so it's only fitting that the band that helped put it on the map is the band that returns to give it a well needed kick in the ass. Shai Hulud is an ever changing band, one that at times has featured the likes of Damien Moyal and Chad Gilbert(yes, that Chad Gilbert). How would the numerous changes affect this release? The band's first and only full-length release, "Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion" is considered to be a masterpiece by many people; how could they possibly match that album? The answer is simple; they didn't match it, they delivered a collection of songs that completely bests anything they've released in the past. The riff driven, style is still quite prevalent here, but it is much more intricate and varied. The technical, metallic riffs weave a tight, melodic thread while the soul shattering vocals scream out the band's lyrical message. There are times where the band appears to be going one direction, only to completely catch the listener off guard with a change of pace. Geert van der Velde's vocals are fierce, aggressive, angry, and completely human at the same time. None of that "cookie monster" growling here, just screamed vocals that come from the heart, instead of the bowels of hell. The additional background vocals of Matt Fox and co. only add to the intense atmopshere of the songs. Since their first release, Shai Hulud has become one of the most admired and quoted bands in hardcore and it's subgenres in terms of lyrical content. That should not change after this release, in fact, the lyrics have matured just a much as their musical canvas. In the song "The Consummate Dragon", van der Velde exclaims "Could any being bask in malevolence? As if it's indifference might pardon it. This tyrant. He is fatherless, with the arrogance of a being that insists it created itself. What can it create? This uninspired muse rules only barren lands. It cannot create a thing." That's just a small taste of the intellectual poetry this band calls it's lyrics.
With this release, Shai Hulud has set a standard that many will now strive for. You can rest assured that this album with spawn hordes of imitators, but to top this album would be a task of daunting difficulty. Like the lightning that colors the sky during a storm or the flower among the ashes of some long since extinguished fire, Shai Hulud has once again brought to us the beauty of destruction and rage. I don't like to make album of year lists, especially not this early, but a work of this magnitude deserves a top spot on anyone's list.
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I forgot how good this band is I love Shai Hulud's band. Their sound is truly their own. If you want to lump this album in with "metalcore", then you have a very original release. No predictable, over-used double bass drumming, breakdowns, etc. Death to false metal and a huge fuck off to so called hardcore bands that are only bad metal rip offs slippy, I think this album is a work of art. My opinion differs from those who had commented further down, I appreciate the way the tracks blend together, it gives the album an eccentric artsy feel and I dig that. Just my opinion. Oh yeah, lyrically, Shai Hulud should remain near the top of any hardcore list, its real and its poetry. Very good album. Good ablum I just got it... I love it. i havent listened to this record yet, but with all the fortyminuteswest hating going on, i would just like to say that let the fucker be. he can have his/her own damn opinion, god if you dont like his/her reviews stop reading them...anyway did anyone read this review on allmusic.com? its hilarious The lyrics are so purposely artsy- its rubbish. forty, i know you like the band. shai hulud has ben one of my favorite bands for 3 years, so i understand why. but when people bitch about the album, just realize they are whores and dont write fucking replys to them. they will never change their point of views, because they find pleasure in bitching about music. fuckem, rock on, i like most of your reviews by the way, shitgoat That Within Blood Ill-Tempered does make sense. It's not commonly used syntax, but it's certainly not fractured. It basically means "all that is encompassed in blood ill-tempered(anger, hostility, bitterness)". And the "without pretense" thing wasn't even said by the band, it's just in the press release for this CD. Press releases are designed to: the lyrics make sense? 'that within blood ill tempered' .. hmm. that syntax is so ripped apart and shit on it means absolutely nothing. but i guess far superior beings can do such a thing and have it still be rendered intellectual. pardon me Mistah t. Gets ill tempered with music like this! i pity tha foo' who listens to this garbage! The lyrics have always been hard to understand. It leaves the listener to develope their own opinion on the meaning of a song. Thats why I really dig Shai Hulud. I don't know what you're talking about, the lyrics are great, and have meaning. They're not as dark as "Hearts Once Nourished.." but that's probably because of the member changes. Their lyrics have always been inspired by poetry, so none of this should shock anyone. How are they full of themselves? I've met them a bunch of times and they're some of the coolest, most down to earth people around. i love shai hulud .. but i'm beginning to wonder if they were the ones who got in that bus accident instead of candiria. it looks like they're a little retarded these days - nothing they say has any meaning or makes any sense at all. the fact that they quote to do things 'without pretention' makes me want to laugh - are they so full of themselves that they can't even see what they are? jeez. avoid the lyrics - and this album is the best hardcore effort in years. i just want to tell all of u that i can write better than u all....just so u know im better than ALL of you. I know im a good writer, u dont even have to critique me....i already know im better than u I used to do that, but then my computer crashed and I lost Word and a few other programs. when i write reviews i just write them in word and then cut and paste it. i find it a lot easier. i'm such a seasoned reviewer, too. That was from me. Just write some reviews and if someone on the staff likes your writing they'll send you stuff. You're on the review staff? How does one get on the review staff? God damn. I love this album. Especially the song "She's Nubs". Relay, the reason I write so many reviews is because I'm on the reviews staff and I get promos sent to me. I'm not complaining about that, in fact, I love it. I also wasn't saying you were a bad writer because you only wrote a few reviews. I meant that after writing alot of reviews you sometimes run out of things to say and it's tougher to be consistent. I proof read my reviews, but I'm one of those people who can read over something 10 times and yet not catch a certain error that ends up in the finished project. Finally, yeah, I might have gotten a little carried away here. However, I've been waiting for this album for almost 4 years, I reserve the right to act a little fanboyish in these type of situations. I took a nice shower and listened to some music, I'm in a good mood now, and I'd like to revoke that last post and say this: This is one of the better hardcore albums Ive heard this year. And a big fuck you to the assholes that jump on the reviewer's back for getting excited about an album. http://www.punknews.org/reviews.php?op=reviews&letter=auth&name= TheOneTrueBill "I stab you as i write in my diary of the pains of summers past" Look, I mentioned that I used to write shitty reviews. Check my last post, it's there. All of the Modest Mouse reviews fall under that category, and probably a few I don't remember sucking right now. The reviews that come to mind right now that are good are my Red Animal War review and my Liars review. I think my Flaming Lips one is good, but can't remember. This album is fucking golden. Forty writes reviews that I can tolerate. Him and Aubin are the only quality people reviewing albums. Oh, yeah, and about the album, my two cents: I have just recently started coming to this site, checking out the news updates,reading reviews, and then reading what most of you fuck sticks bitch about. What about "The Fall Of Every Man"? They're coming out with a collection of rare songs called "A Life In Chapters" or something like that. getting back to the point, this album is fair at best. while the layout is fucking fantastic, the songs totally tend to blur into each other, and yet no parts remain distinct in my mind. bummer. i can understand a band wanting to at tons of depth to their songs, but at the same time, shai hulud tends to fall back on the same tricks and riffs time and time again. there's nothing for me to grab onto. still, killer layout. their split with another victim is fucking mint, as is their first full length and demo. peace. We'll always have Hellfest sickboi. Speaking of which, are you still going. And relay, if you want to discuss this further you can IM me, the screen name shouldn't be too hard to guess. Forty is lucky I'm hetero, I'd be all over him. i love this new cd, everyone who says it's bad.... eat a bag of dicks. Good review, i thought you did a very good job. Well written. Not to over post but, most of my reviews are down to earth and nothing like this one. This was something special and I wanted the review to reflect that, hence the break from my ordinary style. Oh it's relay, you don't know how honored I am by your presence. I'm condescending? Maybe that would have a little weight coming from someone else. Yes, and your comment about how I feign intelligence really breaks my heart, because you've never used any sort of metaphors, imagery, etc.in any of your reviews. "In contrast with my desire to experience the entire album instantaneously, bleeding it dry in one fell swoop, El Cielo is more of a methodical bloodletting. " now who could have said that? I'm not calling you a bad reviewer, because you aren't, but you're not one to criticize people over such things. You've reviewed all of 8 albums, nearly half of which are by Modest Mouse. Why don't you try reviewing some bands you don't like, you know, the kind you get when people send you promos. It's alot easier to review bands you're usually willing to give nearly perfect scores to than to review bands that don't quite strike a chord with you. Obviously I'm far from the best reviewer, but I'm not the worst either. I'm going to keep writing reviews until I run out of promos, whether you like it or not. relay, you got any good reviews to share with us? no? stop whining and leave the man alone. Little tip Forty: chill out with the language. I used to write reviews like yours, and then I realized I didn't know what the fuck I was saying (eg. cheesy bullshit about flowers growing from a long since extinquished flame and the beauty of destruction). Learn how to use "it's" and "its", learn how to use commas, proofread your shit, and then write a review. Oh, yeah, and write with language you can actually use. Your reviews are as corny as those lyrics you cited. Maybe you would be better off writing "This band is good. I like it." reviews than shitty attempts at prose like "lightning that colors the sky during a storm." What a shitty band with a shitty album name. Are you jewish or something? I honestly don't know how any hardcore fan could not like this album, I seriously don't. Also, I know someone will have something to say about this, so I will say that I am jewish, maybe that will be an easy starting point for critisism. What happened to WussEmoRock? Did someone get angry enough at him to beat him up outside of the internet? Ice 800 you fools. Ice brewed malt liquor=flavor country. I hope so, watching all these people get angry is pretty entertaining. And the reigning champion is Mickey's Ice. i think forty is gonna be the next wussemorock. you know the guy we love to hate. and it's not about the hurricane...it's either king cobra or olde english. Ok so maybe I'll change this review to: Shai Hulud? What a shitty band. Wow, how incredibly not funny. This review in under 30 words: Oh shit, it was Hurricane? That kid should be shot. You have your definition of Hurricane, I have mine.... I don't see what's so funny about wasting moderately tolerable alcohol. "Forty bashing"...one time some kid in 7-11 dropped like 5 forties on the floor, it was hysterical. What's with all the Forty bashing lately? So he's a bit of a skid, aren't we all? I think he writes pretty decent reviews, a hell of a lot better than a lotta other people on here. Give a kid a break. "What the fuck have you done?" Once again FourtyMinutesWest has managed to produced a shit review of an album... This comes as no suprise to anyone who has ever read one of his/her reviews yet fails to take our hints on stop fucking reviewing cds... Incredible cd nonetheless, seriously, it's great, go buy it... now Ummm...ok... "he meant the haunted you stupid ass" ""Korn rules dude" he meant the haunted you stupid ass "I may not like Shai Hulud... in fact, i think they are horrible, but i do love The Haunting" "That should not change after this release, in fact, the lyrics have matured just a much as their musical canvas. In the song "The Consummate Dragon", van der Velde exclaims "Could any being bask in malevolence? As if it's indifference might pardon it. This tyrant. He is fatherless, with the arrogance of a being that insists it created itself. What can it create? This uninspired muse rules only barren lands. It cannot create a thing." That's just a small taste of the intellectual poetry this band calls it's lyrics." We can all agree with the below statement. Hardcore blandness! Yay! I may not like Shai Hulud... in fact, i think they are horrible, but i do love The Haunting... and I must say, after some serious listening and giving this band more than a little chance at winning me over, I may still think they are crap, but I don't hear one god damn riff of The Haunting's on this. Are you serious? I listen to the Haunted too, and I just don't here the riffs they used. yeah, this band is still cool, but they've ripped alot of riffs from the haunted, i mean, it's atleast more than 5, from the same cd. shai hulud is like cheese sandwich - smelly, byproduct of a cow between two slices of fermented yeast and flour shai hulud are the worst ska band since no doubt goddamnit, i've been waiting for quite a while and it's sold out when i get to the store. thursday, bros, thursday! the 2 teaser songs i heard owned ass. Forty is right. This is a solid release. Fuck all you haters too, this review was well written. it's = it is "Minerva" and "Good Morning Beautiful" are pretty good. bah. the music on this record is almost as bad as the song titles/lyrics are pretentious. The new Deftones is stellar. damian and culture fuckin kills. need to pick me up some new shai hulud this week. I wasn't knocking the sentiment behind it at all. well mr. pink, when an album is as awesome as this one is, you tend to expect a glowing review. Next time I'll write "This band roxorz!!1111 its about time this came out. its well worth the wait. More of a verbal blowjob than an actual review. This guy should write Valentine cards for a living. great album. that is all. this album doesnt need any explination other than its shai hulud but better than before I think the review is in the last paragraph..i think...not quite sure. |
