SHAI HULUD

Of the bands I can think of off the top of my head that have taken their name from the realm of sci-fi/fantasy cinema (and I know there are probably several I'm not thinking of),SHAI HULUD is one that ranks near the top of my list. Not only because I really dug those sandworms that wreaked havoc across Frank Herbert's Dune series, but because they're one band that has consistently been able to stretch hardcore music to its limits without sacrificing integrity while doing so (and in the process, inadvertently helping to pioneer the metalcore movement). At the very least, they trump the hell out of a certain mascara-clad act named after that furry, flying snake-thing with legs from "The Neverending Story".

While the years have not been kind to SHAI HULUD with constant line-up changes and rumors of the band's demise that popped up in the not-so-distant past, founder/guitarist Matt Fox and his longtime cohort Matthew Fletcher (bass) have soldiered on diligently. Enter 2008 and the venomous writing duo of Fox n' Fletcher are back with a new brood of misfits and the chaotic "Misanthropy Pure". The furious return to form that fans had been hoping for, "Misanthropy Pure" trades in some of the extra melodic element that came along with 2003's "That Within Blood Ill Tempered" for a dose of increased aggression. New vocalist, Matt Mazalli and his throaty, tough-guy screams are a perfect match for Fox's anti-everything lyrical themes. Aside from that, the sheer power of Mazalli's voice spews a nice layer of destructive heaviness over the top, allowing the rest of the band wander off the beaten path without sacrificing the band's inherent intensity. And wander they do, especially in the case of Fox's freeform, twisting and turning playing style. The complex, string-hopping and mind-bending guitar runs played on "Venomspreader" and "Chorus Of The Dissimilar", hell the entire album, walk that thin line between discombobulating and awe-inspiring. Which is what made SHAI HULUD such an influential band in the first place. On the flip side of that coin, the band tends to pull from the same bag of tricks too many times during the course of the album, causing much of it to run together in a swarm of confusion. Sure, the mental challenge provided by "To Bear The Brunt Of Many Blades" is a welcome one, but divert your attention elsewhere and you'll find yourself two tracks further into the disc not knowing how the hell you got there.

So yes, SHAI HULUD is back with the same forward-thinking hybrid of hardcore and progressive metal that somehow eventually gave birth to a thousand bad haircuts and clueless trend-followers. Should we damn Fox and Co. for the sea of shit we're forced to contend with via Myspace and the opening bands we see on dollar beer night at our favorite local venue? Not at all, because the fact is SHAI HULUD were one of the first to do what they do and even the closest of imitators can't touch what they've done, and I think this album is a testament to that statement. Allow me to summarize by paraphrasing the words of Gandhi; perhaps "Misanthropy Pure" will be the change we want to see in the world of metalcore.