*Shels
Sea of The Dying Dhow

The debut album (they have only produced 2 EPs "Wingsfortheirsmiles" and "Laurentian's Atoll" and are about to release their second full work) for the Californians *Shels (yes with the asterisk) "Sea Of The Dying Dhow" (2007 @ shelsmusic) is, in my view, grounded on 4 cornerstones of universal philosophy.

1) Ockham's razor: if there are several ways to achieve a result, the simplest one is preferable.
2) The principle of contrasts: joy is appreciated with pain and vice versa. Happiness with sadness, cold with warmth, silence with noise.
3) "What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence"...an invitation from my beloved Wittgenstein not to waste words when it is better to show what we mean.
4) Unity is strength. Okay, this is not exactly a "cornerstone" of philosophy, but it must have come from somewhere, right?

Perhaps Debaser readers will take me for a madman (and maybe they're right) or a megalomaniac (uhm...you got it, right?!) but jokes aside, what I'm writing will prove to be the right key to reading the album.

*Shels were born from the union of 3 distinct groups: Mahumodo, Eden Maine, and Fireapple Red. Mehdi Safa, leader of Mahumodo (an English metal-hardcore group) moved to the States and created what defining as a "group" is limiting. There are 7 members: Safa as the vocalist, 3 guitars, 1 drummer, 1 bassist, and an "atmosphere manipulator".

I do not like to classify my favorite bands, as if I like them, it's precisely because they defy a specific category. But in the context of a review, it is at least appropriate to define limits (in the sense of boundaries). *Shels offer the best blend of Post-Rock and good, direct Metal I have ever listened to. Okay, saying this, I have practically said nothing.

Let's take the opening track, "The Conference of The Birds", a monumental rock work that astounds, urges, calms the spirits with a melody that seems to emerge from the most remote meanders of your memories, as if you've always known it. All with a disarming simplicity (point 1), continuous contrasts between acoustic guitars, finger snaps, and metal riffs worthy of the best Tool (point 2). Mehdi is not a rhymester or a lyricist but a musician like the others who puts his evocative voice at the service of the final result, singing when required ("Do you remember the sun, remember the sun, that we knew, falling down...."), shouting when necessary ("...I CAN!") and remaining silent when he must give space to the music (point 3). When you think you've understood the song, suddenly calm sets in, and a trumpet appears out of nowhere, anticipating a guitar solo that seems imprinted on brass, a sign that the boys know what to do and when (point 4). This discussion is replicable safely for any other song on the album, which presents itself as a Concept Album (the artwork is by Safa, and the title indicates the danger our "boat" is facing).

"White Umbrella (pt.1-2)" starts soft, almost faded, to ignite in the second part with a riff akin to Isis or Neurosis. Forget the typical structure "verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus." Even in the easier songs like "Water pt.1" or "Indian pt.2" (perhaps the pieces closest to an old-school "emocore") the song travels freely and swiftly towards the goal, pushing on the pedals and the power of the guitars. Noteworthy are the intertwined melodies that you will hardly get out of your head.

The title track is perhaps the darkest and hardest moment of the album, soft and welcoming at first (the guitar riff is wonderful, as simple as it is satisfying), violent and disturbing afterward, spitting more than 3 minutes of repeated and hammering riff at us, preceded by a truly engaging drum performance, almost as if to repeat the message of the whole work: "we are sinking....get it into your heads".

The album closes with the splendid "In Dead Palm Fields", which starts with an almost Folk acoustic guitar (the band admits that many pieces of this genre are on their mp3 players) proceeding with a steady pace, never over the top, until Mehdi screams in the silence "GUIDE MY HAND! KEEP IT BY YOUR SIDE!" and the guitar changes, accelerates and heralds the final explosion "WILL YOU LET ME!!! LET ME GO!!". The song unequivocally recalls the initial track, closing a circle, in my opinion, perfect.

Great debut for a band to love and follow, but above all, a demonstration that there is no need to complicate life by studying hyperbolic solutions (wow, what a neologism) to amaze and make people fall in love. Let's see if the ship can manage not to sink.

P.s. This is my first review on Debaser....please don't slaughter me.  Thank you very much.