Shelter
Attaining The Supreme

The Shelter emerged from the ashes of Youth of Today, a legendary hardcore band that, in the latter half of the eighties, contributed to the vibrancy of the New York straight-edge scene, producing some masterpieces of the genre like "Break Down the Walls" and "We're not in this Alone". Straight-edge originated in the early eighties thanks to Minor Threat, who combined musical fury with an unprecedented ideological coherence, starkly opposing the traditional image of rock as the torchbearer of "sex, drugs & rock’n’roll." To the cry of "Don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t fuck", an entire generation broke their bones beneath (and above) the stage of concerts of these bands.

While on one hand, Shelter preserves this "straight" spirit, on the other, they become the voice of a mystical shift inspired by the "Hare-Krishna" movement, an association that both singer Ray Cappo and guitarist John Porcell join. Incidentally, another important band of those years making the same shift, albeit with less credible tones, is the Cro-Mags. What Krishna has to do with hardcore is quickly explained; it’s not surprising that some young American lads, steeped in integralist puritanism, might find further solace in religion for their anxiety to redeem humanity from all evils.
But let’s get to the album, which, probably marking the peak of Shelter’s compositional arc, seems aptly titled in hindsight. What was already said well with the previous "Perfection of Desire" here reaches full maturity. Putting aside certain rhythmic excesses and giving more room to melody, a band at its peak produces ten absolutely beautiful tracks, driven by an authentic spiritual fervor that echoes everywhere.

The most natural comparison, musically speaking, is with "7 Seconds," a historic band with which Shelter has more than a point in common. An hardcore, but in reality, this is excellent rock from which its original essence shines through, draped in a light and emotional atmosphere, thanks also to the unique voice of Ray Cappo, who effortlessly shifts from more aggressive tones to gentler ones without ever losing power, and the guitar textures of John Porcell, which make every passage smooth and flawless, a magic formula unparalleled in Shelter’s discography. The production is certainly not very muscular for a band of hardcore origin, and undoubtedly this is the so-called less "powerful" album of the group, but alongside this, there is something deeper that paves its way into the listener's heart, a musical poetry with vibrant melodies and a slightly nostalgic flavor, something irresistible that never fails to evoke emotions with every new listen. Among more or less rhythmic tracks, there is also room for a semi-ballad like "Progressive Man", but the real gems of the album are the opener "Better Way", followed by "One Concern", "Not Just a Package", and the very intense "Busy Doing Nothing". The collection closes with the track "Shelter", retrieved from the previous "Perfection of Desire" and presented in Rap-Core version.

Now let's discuss the lyrics, which for many are the sore point of all Krishna-core bands, due to their anti-drug, anti-alcohol, anti-abortionist, anti-modernist contents and the myriad other "anti" elements. A friend recently recounted witnessing, in the United States, an assault on an unfortunate soul blissfully smoking a cigarette right at a Shelter concert. Suburban folklore? No, idiocy. But while it's true that many of these groups, in their excessive apostolic zeal, have exacerbated the tones to the point of inciting kids to ideological intolerance, the same cannot be said for Shelter, who amidst a thousand controversies carry forward their spiritual beliefs without ever falling into the silly melodrama of their peers. Ray Cappo’s lyrics may not be agreeable to everyone, but they are nonetheless constructive, offering an alternative worldview for which the usual "take it or leave it" rule applies, but what's most important, as always, is to set aside prejudices and see firsthand what it's all about. As Ray Cappo himself states:

"I’m not proud of my place of birth, some random place on earth, I claim no nationality, no religious institution, or denomination, I’m a separate personality."

In short, whatever your opinion may be, give the album a listen.