Forlorn Shelter

Burning Soul EP

Written by: GR on 26/04/2010 00:03:27

Here's one that's been sitting in my review pile for far too long now, finally getting a fair airing with the purchase of a new mp3 player. Forlorn Shelter are an unsigned four-piece hailing from the Netherlands; having been around since 2006, they've released a single demo prior to this new offering, the 5 track "Burning Soul EP". Apparently starting out with a metal/hardcore sound, the band have, in their own words, "shifted their style of music to Trash [sic] and Groovemetal" with this release.

Quoting their major influences as Pantera, Down, Pro-Pain, Hatebreed and Bay Area thrash gives a general idea of the musical territory Forlorn Shelter occupy, mixing these to varying extents on each of the tracks. I must admit to not expecting much from this release for whatever reason, and on first listen didn't hear anything to garner more than the internet's favourite response of 'meh'. Luckily a few repeated spins of the disc revealed the handful of songs to be a lot more enjoyable and memorable than my initial listen suggested. From the Down-ish vibe of opener "Pain" to the thrashing groove of "Between the Law and the Landlord" Forlorn Shelter manage to kick-out some tunes that have genuinely stuck in my mind.

That's not to say they've produced anything outstanding here, but they are certainly on the right track to be the kind of band that can gain a decent local following (although they may already have one, for all I know!). The hoarse vocals of Ben Dautzenberg are a dividing point in my mind - on the one hand you could justifiably describe them as a bit rubbish, but on the other they fit with the sound and add a certain something once you've got used to them.

Unsurprisingly, the recordings are somewhat rough around the edges - especially given one track is labelled as a demo and another a live recording - but there is a ramshackle charm to it that helps give the band a bit of personality, to my ears at least. At the end of the day, this isn't an EP that's going to see the band snapped up by a label, but shows these Dutchmen have the knack of writing catchy songs and provides a few decent listens if you're in the mood for something rather unpolished.

6

Download: Pain, I Am The One, Strife
For the fans of: Down, Pro-Pain, Pantera
Listen: Myspace

Release date 12.02.2010
Self Released

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