Shai Hulud - That Within Blood Ill Tempered (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

One of the best albums.... ever!

04/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the top five albums in my entire CD collection. (250+ CDs) If i were to lose my collection, this would be one of the first albums i would replace. It's THAT good. In my eyes this is some of the most honest, sincere music this genre has seen, & hardcore is known for its passion. Its instrumental side is technical, very melodic, & layered to perfection, sometimes exhibiting an almost classical level of orchestration & composition. Most of the songs have achingly beautiful minor-key melodies that will stay in your head for a long time, backed up by some very energetic & accurate drumming. Each musician has mastered his instrument, & the songwriting of Matt Fox is for the most part untouchable. And i haven't even mentioned the lyrics... anyone who has felt a disgust with the world's evils will instantly relate to these lyrics. The language & phrasing they use to describe their misanthropic feelings is stunning, & paints vivid pictures in one's mind. The incredible lyrics are passionately screamed, with a sincerity & brutal honesty that befits their serious nature. But thankfully the songs are not without hope, for both the melodies & lyrics carry feelings of hope, positivity, & compassion. I've found listening to this album always leaves me refreshed, hopeful, even desiring to be a better person. My favorite track would have to be "This Song:...", a beautiful ode to sincerity & integrity in music. I know i've used a lot of flowery words, but it's hard to convey how much this music moves me. Hopefully it will strike the same chord within you. Buy it, read the words, listen to it with an open mind, & i think you'll enjoy it. It's an amazing recording. Props to Matt Fox & company for going out with a bang... hopefully his new band will be just as great. Thanks for reading & enjoy Shai Hulud!"

Words Cannot Express My Approval of This Album

Sean Grinnell | The Armpit of the Universe | 07/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of hardcore music, there is no way to say in words how this album will make you feel and how much you will enjoy it. The first time I got this album home I listened to it three times in a row. It's that good!
The best way to describe Shai Hulud's music is to call it very melodic hardcore. The guitars play beautiful melodies that come at you from all directions. The vocals are screamed so passionatly that it gives you a distinct feeling that these guys really mean what they say. The lyrics are some of the most poetic lyrics that I've ever heard and are very inspirational.
To compare this album with their previous work, I would say that while both their full length albums come straight from the heart, That Within Blood Ill Tempered seems to be pulled from a much deeper and darker corner of their hearts.
Key moments: Scornful of the Motives and Virtues of Others, Two and Twenty Misfortunes, and This Song:For the True and Passionate Lovers of Music
In Short, this album 38 minutes and 48 seconds of sheer musical genius, and if you don't buy it then you deserve Chinese water torture for the rest of your days!"

The best hardcore album ever made

Steven Shaefer | Cincinnati, OH | 05/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That within blood ill tempered is the absolute pinnacle of hardcore music. Of any metal band I've ever listened to, Shai Hulud does everything correctly. Their music truly is for the true and passionate lovers of music, and I am a classically trained musician of nearly 10 years saying this. From their constant tempo modulations and key signature changes to the mix of fast and slow lead on top of full chord rhythm and the best lyrics written by anyone, anywhere, this LP has it all. To put it into perspective, if this Cd was stolen from me, I would call the police. This CD has had an astronomical impact on my musicianship. Definitely pick up this album if you are a serious musician with a taste for intense music."

THIS IS WHAT HARDCORE IS ABOUT!

jonathenl | Diamond Bar, CA United States | 12/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you profess to like harcore music or any of its subgenres, then you have to listen to Shai Hulud's "That Witihin Blood Ill Tempered". I've read some bad reviews and some good ones, so I'll try to be as objective as possible. Yes, Matt Fox layers the crap out of the CD. From what I've heard, it was one of the reasons Geert (the vocalist) left the band; e couldn't deal with the perfectionism of Matt Fox. And yes, a lot of the songs are very melodic. But while some people see that as a negative, I see it as a positive; I say this because Shai Hulud is a hardcore band because of the screaming, pure and simple. The music is melodic, but they don't dilute it even more with singing, which while I like it in moderation, too many bands do now a days. Instead of doing a cookie cutter format hardcore album, Shai Hulud stayed true to themselves and their fans by making a true hardcore album. There are those that would say that hardcore does not need melodicism. While I respect that opinion, harcore is so filled with chug chug bands and brutal breakdowns from every band that it's getting repetitive and boring. Shai Hulud stays away from this as well. On "Let Us At Last Praise The Colonizers Of Dreams" (2), the breakdown with just the drums coming in on three measures is one of the most beautiful parts I have heard in any song. It also should get creadit because Tony Tinatieri never goes back to that beat again, something a lot of drummers seem to do. That leads me to my next point. This album is not repetitive. A lot of the songs have no set format, and to me at least, that is awesome. Matt Fox and Tony Tinatieri made sure every song was unique in its transitions and they did an awesome job. Lastly (I am not being objective here), this is a touching final effort from Geert Van De Velde for Shai Hulud. Songs like the one I just mentioned and "This Song: For The True And Passionte Lovers Of Music" show just how much passion there is in hardcore, something lacking in the scene with the rise of glamcore recently. This lyric from "This Song" summarizes why I love this album: "This song...I have this song to sing. Certain words must be screamed rather than sung or spoken". To all of you who listen to hardcore and hate explaining that hardcore is about passion and not anger, I'm sure that lyric touches you the same way it touches me, and makes me proud to be in a hardcore band. Geert Van De Velde, Matt Fox, Matt Fletcher, and Tony Tinatieri should be respected by all true hardcore fans."

Shai Hulud

Mike D. | 02/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this cd is truly amazing, lyrically its one of the best cds i have ever heard, as a musician myself instrumentally its brilliant, its a shame that they broke up though"

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