Starless finds
Shiner caught in a sort of no-man's land that lies between heavy metal and modern rock: Its lyrics that are too introspective for metal and its sound is too bone-crushingly dark for mainstreamists. There's some great stuff here, like the chunky riffing of the appropriately titled "Semper Fi," or the druggy sonic experimentalism of "Rearranged," or, more generally, the band's considerable, prog rock-influenced chops. But because all the songs sound rather same-y -- solemn, shadowy, and sonically grungy -- non-devotees are better off passing on this one. ~ Christian Hoard