Album Of The Week: Worshipper’s Shadow Hymns

Roaring out of Boston with authority, triumphant metal act Worshipper have given their local scene an exhilarating jolt. The quartet, consisting of John Brookhouse on guitar and vocals, Dale Jarvis on drums, Bob Maloney on bass and Alejandro Necochea on lead guitar, exude an energy that’s rare in the music that’s coming out of Boston these days. That energy won them the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble at the Once Ballroom in Somerville, Massachusetts back in April. Now it continues with the band’s highly anticipated debut album Shadow Hymns that was released on August 26. It’s a stellar album that shreds from start to finish with raw fury.

Shadow Hymns resurrects the glory of vintage heavy metal. Epic riffs from both Brookhouse and Necochea come at you in full force while Maloney and Jarvis resonate tight rhythms. This music is for headbanging and putting up the horns sky high. The feeling will take over in a matter of seconds and the mind will lose all inhibitions. Worshipper’s music lives up to its name, and don’t be surprised if this band has a burgeoning cult following by the end of the decade.

It’s really great to see the metal genre going back to its roots. A lot of metal bands are going the fuzzy and bluesy route with sonically charged progressions. Worshipper has put themselves into that group with their debut and it looks like they won’t be straying anytime soon. Let’s hope that doesn’t change. For an in-depth look at Shadow Hymns, examine my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:

There’s a certain unique quality with “Step Behind.” The way the guitars sound in the track border on both extremes with the low chords sounding very deep and sludgy while the solos scream into the eardrums. “Ghosts and Breath” has a dark vibe to it that gives a shock and a thrill once the first strum is made. An aura of darkness surrounds the song and souls are bound to be possessed when they give it a listen. Starting off with an acoustic tone and then upping the ante within seconds, “Darkness” is a ripper that never lets up.

Worshipper will be celebrating the release of Shadow Hymns at Once on September 9 with fellow Bostonians The Devil Twins, Zip-Tie Handcuffs and a few special guests who haven’t been announced yet. They also have another show lined up on October 28 at the same place with Scissorfight, Roadsaw and Hey Zeus to celebrate Halloween. You should head to both shows and pick up a copy of Worshipper’s debut or you can download it online via Bandcamp at the link below. Either way you can’t go wrong. Let’s hope these four heathens make their way to Providence soon, but until then, give Shadow Hymns a listen.

Stream & Buy Worshipper’s Shadow Hymns here: worshipper.bandcamp.com/album/shadow-hymns; Like Worshipper on Facebook: facebook.com/worshipperband