Shun
Michael In Reign

Independent Release
Release Date: October 4, 2002

Nashville quintet Shun constructs their independently released EP Michael in Reign the way every band should - with the kind of raw power and genuine emotion that forces you to listen, and Billy White's plaintive delivery and surprisingly well-crafted lyrics make you understand every feeling just as he once did. The group itself has spent much of their time touring the midwest, performing with such acts as Not Waving But Drowning and Open Hand, with the ever-elusive recording contract seeming to be just outside their grasp. But one listen to Michael in Reign will leave you wondering what the labels are waiting for, as this band is ready for more.

Opening with "Glass to Sand," Shun comes out firing with a dark, hard-edged, yet strangely melodic account of dangerous love. What follows is a sobering 180, as the title track brings about a very intimate, acoustic feel rather quickly, but by the end, Shun has aroused a stunning crescendo worthy of their influences, Tool. "Piece by Piece" follows, possibly the weakest track on the EP, yet Billy White's mournful wails give way to interesting gutteral roars in the song's climax. Whatever weaknesses that track holds are quickly forgotten, however, when the CD's centerpice track, "Second Voice", hits. With lyrics that describe everything in horrifying detail, White holds your hand and leads you through the discovery of the death of a young girl at the hands of her own brother, a story which the band asserts the truth of during their live sets. The song's instrumentation brings about the very feeling of a slasher film, with screaming guitar bends and burning riffing. Following "Second Voice", "Sell Them Dreams" and "Closure" once again recount relations gone wrong, with "Sell..." serving as a stern warning, and "Closure" pulling no punches to let the offending party know exactly what they did wrong. Rounding out the set is "Hopesend," almost a death knell of a song, painting a disturbing picture of a man finally giving up.

Throughout Michael In Reign, the impecable instrumentation of Shun shows through, yet it is the powerful voice and terrifying lyrics of Billy White that make this EP the indie masterpiece that it is. Shun are finishing work on a new CD, with hopes of shopping it to various record labels, and in preliminary listens, it is set to be every bit as solid as Michael in Reign.

Keep an eye out for Shun's new song, "Fear of Heights", their various tour dates (as they really must be seen to be believed), and their new CD, and keep listening to XROXX for the top unsigned bands anywhere.

XROXX.com Album Rating: XXXXX (5 out of 5 possible X's)

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Tony Voss
Special to XROXX