We’re about to premiere a song that’s simultaneously sinister and seductive, crushing and narcotic, alternately bone-smashing and anguished. Somehow it’s both visceral and elaborate, and ultimately both very unsettling and irresistibly captivating.
The success of the California band Shadow Limb in creating such contrasts and then turning them into complements of each other is impressive, and so is their skill in drawing together differing genre elements in order to do so.
The name of the song, which appears on the band’s new album Reclaim, is “Snake Mountain“, and it’s likely we’d be thinking of snakes while listening, regardless of the title.
The lead riff in the song does move like a snake, but it’s a damned big serpent that slithers through those gritty, uber-thick sounds and spits its venom through the vocalist’s scorching howls. The drums ruthlessly pound and the bass slugs like a battering ram, but bursts of percussive mania keep things lively, even when the crusher riffing begins to coil and squeeze the life out of the listener.
Maybe things you once cared for, but will never see again, flash through your mind as the coils tighten, and maybe that’s what you’ll imagine when the guitars moan a lament, a prelude to the big throb of the bass and the somber doom-singing that trades in for the scalding screams. The guitar returns, joined by a second one to create a gleaming but woozy harmony, reminding us that a serpent’s sway can mesmerize its prey.
In the riffing, tension then begins to build and the bass heavily throbs, as if that massive reptile has remembered what it was doing, to your regret. The wrenching wail of the guitars climbs high in their agony, and a dual-guitar solo spirals even higher with striking clarity as the drums run riot and the vocals wail too, creating a crescendo of yearning and torment.
Here’s what Shadow Limb (who hail from Chico, California and comprise the quartet of Mike Crew, Dan Elsen, Chris Roberts and Adam Scarborough) tell us about the song’s inspiration and their special guest in making it:
“The title for ‘Snake Mountain‘ originally comes from a rocky hill behind our practice space. The spot is out on the outskirts of town and we’ve run into several rattlesnakes over the years so, we deemed the hill Snake Mountain.
“We were lucky enough to have our dear friend, Aaron John Gregory, contribute vocals to this track. And for some reason when we collaborate on something with him Masters of the Universe always comes into play. Since the song was already a reference to Masters of the Universe, we decided to go full bore on the influence. What we ended up with is Skeletor origin story fan fiction. We have been fans of AJ’s voice for years and it’s a huge honor to have him on this song!”
Reclaim is Shadow Limb‘s second album, and represents a marked progression in their songwriting and stylistic interests. That’s evident from the song we’re presenting today, and more evident if you also check out the album’s first single below, “To Reclaim“, which had its premiere at The Obelisk.
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tim Green at Louder Studios last summer at Grass Valley California. It features cover art by David Neal. It will be released on vinyl and digital formats by Seeing Red Records on March 29th.
PRE-ORDER:
https://shop.seeingredrecords.com/
https://shadowlimb.bandcamp.com/album/reclaim-3
SHADOW LIMB:
https://www.facebook.com/shadowlimb/