With a rhythm section that is nothing short of magnificent and the genuinely capable rock & roll voice of lead singer Bob Cave, Ottawa's answer to Seattle rock,
Shunt combines tight riffs and relentless hooks to make their impressive six-track debut EP a rocking success. What you get here is a straight-up, alt-metal affront: unabashedly raw and naked. Similarities can easily be drawn to
Helmet and early
Black Sabbath, the latter being fairly obvious in
Shunt's burning guitar breaks and intense drumming. A fuzzy production style gives this record the quality of a live performance throughout. From beginning to end,
Shunt is strong and unrelenting, albeit only mildly aggressive. But with a six-track release, that's more than adequate.