Shadow and Claw’s debut album Whereabouts Unknown plunges into blackened sludge territory, but with a distinctly Idahoan twist. It is currently available on all streaming services as well as Bandcamp.
As I have spent the last month listening to this album, I contemplate the nature of a place and its impact on the music that comes from it.
Cities are often defined by their signature sounds: New Orleans has sludge, Virginia has groove, Tampa death metal, and Seattle grunge. Even within the same genres, regional nuances are clear—NOLA sludge differs from Georgia’s, and Seattle’s doom metal stands apart from Denver’s.
Idaho, on the other hand, has music made by people from here. We do not draw many outsiders
But what about Boise? As a long time resident, when I think about the bands I have grown to love here, and their relationship with their respective genres, a thought emerges. Wolvserpent, Ghorot , Uzala and Ealdor Bealu are excellent representatives of their style, however directly comparing these bands to their contemporaries from other places reveals a particular uniqueness among Boise-based bands.
Isolation has been a core descriptor of Idaho for as long as I remember. Boise, being the largest city in the state, barely registers in the minds of anyone thinking of what a “city” is . We sometimes wanted to be considered part of the Pacific Northwest, though citizens of Portland and Seattle typically exclude us. I tend to agree with them, as the climate and landscape that define the PNW does not match what we have here.
Musically, while there is some cross pollination of styles, the movement of ideas tends to be one direction; more people leave Idaho to pursue music elsewhere than come here. As larger cities defined their sounds, and drew enough people to create momentum for their scenes, the country at large began to understand their languages; the kinds of metal coming from Seattle and Portland often evoke imagery related to the rich, dark, dense rainy forests, and this cultural understanding draws artists to them.
Idaho, on the other hand, has music made by people from here. We do not draw many outsiders, and the unique environment presses itself on the locals. We have mountains and forests to stand with the best of them; however much of our landscapes are arid, sparse, and unforgiving. While being environmentally distinct, Boise also sits outside of the influence of the closest large metropolitan areas of SLC, Portland and Seattle.
The environmental isolation breeds a cultural isolation. This cultural isolation creates a space where artists here are only tangentially influenced by outsiders, and the isolation adds its own musical flavor that is distinctly Idahoan. However, because we do not have the draw of the large metros, the outside world doesn’t have the cultural context to understand what the Idaho metal scene sounds like.
So what do we sound like? First of all, without the rigors of a well-defined scene, Idaho metal tends to be less confined by the specific rules of genres. This makes Idaho bands difficult to categorize. Remember Ealdor Bealu from earlier? Fantastic examples of heavy psych, but good luck finding a band that sounds like them. Or a blackened doom band like Ghorot, or the ritualistic experimentalism of Wolvserpent. Beyond the genre-bending nature our isolation affords us, our heavy music tends to take on a dry, sparse air. I also covered the meditative sounds of ASA for our other site, Monsterriff.com.
Apocalyptic, blackened, and sludge are good descriptors, but Whereabouts Unknown is so much more than that.
Without the constant drive to be the heaviest or most extreme band in the scene, we let our metal breathe. We can scream, but sometimes a whisper communicates the message better. There is a rough and dirty approach to our music that does not exude aggression so much as raw authenticity.
Given this evolution, I finally return to Shadow and Claw and their album Whereabouts Unknown. Described by the band as “apocalyptic blackened sludge”; one would think this is another entry for the title of “sickest, heaviest band ever” that so many long for. But remember, this is Idaho and we do what we want, and we’d rather do our own thing than be judged by the metrics of other larger markets. Apocalyptic, blackened, and sludge are good descriptors, but Whereabouts Unknown is so much more than that.
That Idaho aridity gives room between the blast beats for melody, atmosphere, tension and release. The guitar work of Travis Abbot is uniquely his; the style developed over the tenure of his many other Boise rock bands (Obscured by the Sun, Western Mystics, Sawtooth Monk, Ealdor Bealu among others) persists but is adapted for this heavier style. Interspersed between the heavy blast beats, Travis Abbott’s guitar work shines with parts that are downright pretty, with expressive solos and contemplative acoustic sections. Vocally, Travis has expanded his repertoire to include harsh vocals that approach black metal shrieks to a low baritone croon. Geno Lopez on bass and Aaron Bossart on drums are glued together throughout the record alternating between driving the progressions with blast beats before settling back while the guitar and vocals set the mood.
Even the samples between the tracks, whether blowing wind, burbling stream or crackling fire (I swear I can smell the sagebrush burning) feel distinctly like home. Era of Ash in particular reminds me of my childhood camping in the Owyhee mountains, panning for gold and hunting for arrowheads.
Is this the heaviest, most brutal apocalyptic blackened sludge album you will hear? Absolutely not, and that’s a blessing. By refusing the futile quest to be the heaviest band around, Shadow and Claw instead tread more interesting ground. Instead of trying to beat the listeners into submission, Whereabouts Unknown is expressive, pretty, heavy, contemplative and introspective.
With this entry, Shadow and Claw create a compelling story of authentic Idahoan heavy metal, and I hope the rest of the world can understand.
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The rest of the world is learning and hopefully will understand one day. Just listened to the first 2 songs on the album and "expressive, pretty, heavy, contemplative and introspective" are perfect words. I do wonder though, what do screamers do to keep the grudge vocals healthy?