The Shrine – Bless Off

Pure Rock Debauchery

Alongside Fu Manchu, Cadaver and Red Fang is the Black Keys’ evil stepbrother The Shrine. Straight out of just south of Compton is the rocker trio whose fan base is the heart and soul of the Venice, CA skater community. The Shrine is Josh Landau on guitar/vocals, Courtland Murphy on bass and Jeff Murray on drums.

Often referring to themselves as “The Destroyers,” The Shrine formed in 2008. Nostalgia plays a big role both in their life and music; they specialize heavy rock with components taken from psychedelic and good ol’ rock and roll. The psychedelic violence of The Shrine has built a cult following. Bless Off is a fun and simple record and a follow up to Primitive Blast. These guys hold onto the classic motif of havin’ a good time.

Opening with “Destroyers,” the band introduce themselves. We dare you to resist the urge to throw a fist in the air and sing along. Maybe the naysayers of new rock with old elements would have a better time with “Worship.” Soon you’ll be asking, “Dude, where’s my board?” “Tripping Corpse” will have you smiling; there’s nothing like a song about a guy who combs his hair and doesn’t care. Another acid casualty.

“Nothing Forever” is the best example of a heavy guitar-infused melody on this album. It’s a great crowd chill. This is the top pick song for the album. It’ll keep you in a good mood even after it’s over. Not to be outdone, the title track “Bless Off” has to be the album’s anthem, declaring where the band is currently at. It seems to have less of an orchestrated impact and more of a “get out of my way” tonality. Keeping up the pace, “No Penalty” is a typical ditch-school-and-rock-out anthem.

Bless Off closes with “Hellride,” which is the right way to crash any party! And don’t forget– you can totally get this on cassette, bro.