I’m almost certain that no one currently reading this have heard of Shift. That’s not to be unexpected either - Shift are an independent alternative metal band from Melbourne, Australia, who I first discovered some years ago on the Tripe J Unearthed website. I was quite surprised at the time to find that Shift are actually quite excellent. Back in 2010, Shift intended to write and release four six-track EPs over the course of around two years, each released for free download on their website. They kicked this project off with Faceless, an incredibly unique and chillingly atmospheric work. Listening to it again is giving me literal chills - needless to say, Faceless is absolutely awesome and anyone even remotely interested in metal music of any kind should download it here.
Watch It Burn is Shift’s second EP in the series, released in 2011, and currently their most recent release, their original schedule abandoned. Despite it being two years old, I wanted to review it anyway, because after Sempiternal I feel I should point out how metal should be done. Metal is a genre which is quickly becoming stale and obsolete, and needs to evolve and diversify fast if it doesn’t want to die out. At its core, it is a brutal alternative heavy metal EP; however, Shift’s diverse range of sounds, dynamic variability, innovative techniques, and unique approach to metal may just be exactly what the genre needs. In stark contrast to Sempiternal, Watch It Burn is a dynamic, evolving, unique, and sincere work, full of complexity and depth. The contemplative and thoughtful lyrics are welcome break from the self-centered and juvenile lyrics from Bring Me The Horizon. Nothing about Watch It Burn is stale, static, or monotonous in any way.
I mentioned subversion in my last two music reviews, and claimed neither album managed to utilise subversion to any meaningful extent. I am pleased to say that Watch It Burn showcases nicely exactly what I was talking about. Constantly, Shift will set up an expectation, sometimes subtly, and at the last minute turns it on its head, keeping the music interesting, engaging, and above all unique. For example, the title track initially sounds like it is trying to rip off every thrash band which has ever existed, before delving into a soft, ambient and atmospheric breakdown. It is this kind of change and diversity which make great metal bands. The opening track, Stand Against, alternates intervals every bar, and has an incredible, bluesy guitar solo during the mellow intermission; and The March is probably one of the most unique and unusual songs I’ve heard in a while. Overall, Watch It Burn is very subversive and experimental, ensuring it does not get boring.
Also commendable is Rob Lambert’s vocal talent. Lambert possesses a unique voice, which is what gives many bands their unique touch, and an ability to seamlessly transition from screamed/guttural vocals to melodic singing. An outstanding performance - especially notable in track two of this EP, Into The Whites Of Your Eyes, during the intermission, you can hear the power, tension and emotion in his voice. Oli Sykes could never match this level. Moreover, he has incorporated an innovative technique which, when I used to listen to Opeth, I wished Mikael Akerfeldt would do, and that is recording a guttural layer and a singing layer on top of each other. I always thought it was a neat idea, and Shift pull it off really well.
One thing I’ve noticed with all music (and I’ll use Metallica as an example because it’s the most prominent example) is that often a band will use a particular production sound on a drum kit for all songs on an album - then the next album use a different sound entirely. Ride The Lightning used a soft-rock snare drum and a smooth, yet relatively hard bass drum - two albums later, we hear an ultra-slick bass drum and a harsh, coarse snare. Every song uses the same sound, yet every album is slightly different. This is well and good, and creates a consistent tone within the album; however, sometimes a little variation in tone is necessary. Even something as small as turning the snare off for a few songs can make a huge difference in creating variety within an album. Shift appears to be aware of this, and mixes up the production on the drums on a few songs on Watch It Burn, to great effect. The March, for example, appears to be taking cues from industrial music, with the harsh distorted drums creating a certain tonal dissonance and tension within the sound, which is masterfully executed.
It may be a little difficult to classify Shift into a subgenre of metal. Some may say “progessive”, however I have abandoned using “progressive” to label music for a number of reasons. For one, it’s far too easy for bands to record three entirely separate songs back-to-back and call themselves “progressive”; and secondly, “prog” bands will inevitably rip off each other to the point where it becomes its own generic style of music, undermining the premise of progressive music. To an extent, this has already happened, and “prog” fans will try to apply a specific formula and sound to progressive music, forgetting that the point of progressive music is to defy such rules. In any case, I choose to regard the label “progressive” not as a genre, but more as an approach to songwriting - a method, if you will.
Progressive music typically utilises absurd rhythms, time signatures and layers, long and dynamic songs and unusual structures. What makes progressive music so pretentious is that most bands use the aforesaid techniques purely for their own sake - innovation for the sake of innovation, and thus it adds nothing to the music. Less songwriting, more a band showing off. On the other hand, Tool - a great band often associated with progressive music - often incorporate such strange songwriting techniques, but it’s always done for the sake of the music. They use it primarily to convey a tone, or a feeling, or to enhance the sound overall, often to the point where the unusual polyrhythms and alternating time signatures sound natural and barely noticeable because the music is so immersive. By contrast, other so-called “prog” bands tend to lean towards showing off how clever they are, rather than writing good music.
I bring this up, because Shift do come dangerously close to this on Watch It Burn. While Faceless was incredibly tight from start to finish, and ending on possibly their tightest song, Watch It Burn does start to feel a bit messy toward the end. On The Brink, particularly the first half, is a good example - the crazy complex polyrhythms sound pretty cool and new, but they don’t add anything to the song, and for the most part sound like the band showing off. The last track, Water On The Sun, has allegedly taken years to write, and it definitely shows - it’s all over the place. It’s completely unfocussed, centered around the most generic 7/8 rhythm in history (although it’s still in 7/8, so “generic” isn’t really fair), and the texture is a mess. There’s little sense of pacing or atmosphere at all, and for these reasons I make the connection to the aforementioned pretentious “prog” attitude many possess. Like On The Brink, the progressive tendencies in Water On The Sun don’t really bring anything new to the table, and aren’t really necessary. This doesn’t make it a bad song at all - in fact, it’s still quite interesting and unique. But it’s not especially great or groundbreaking.
The main issue with this release it that it fails to outshine its predecessor. With Faceless, the cold atmospheric focus worked really well for Shift, and it seems like with Watch It Burn they’re trying for a more epic, stadium rock/metal sound, and I personally don’t think it works quite as well. It’s still excellent, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s second best to Faceless. No songs are quite as good as The Bin, and overall it doesn’t have the same focus that Faceless had.
Shift are currently working on a full-length album (so I hear), and I expect it will be good, and I eagerly await its completion. In the meantime, their music is available for free download or purchase on their website, and I strongly recommend acquiring both their EPs. Faceless is amazing, and while Watch It Burn is less good, it’s still good in a different way. Shift are a remarkable new band in the heavy music scene and a welcome addition to the current pool of modern music, and I will continue to follow their career for years to come.
Really cool review man, cheers! It'll be interesting to hear what you think about the next one.
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