Have you ever looked at an album cover and immediately know the album is going to resonate with you?
While unfamiliar with Shepherds Reign, the moment I saw their album cover for Ala Mai, available on Golden Robot Records August 25th, I knew I was going to love the music and what the band had to say.
Shepherds Reign are a five piece band hailing from South Auckland, New Zealand. By birth and by blood, the Polynesian quintet are Filiva’a James (vocals and keytar), Gideon Voon (guitar), Oliver Leupolu (guitar/production), Shaymen Rameka (drums) and Joseph Oti-George (bass).
With Ala Mai, Shepherds Reign has brought forth an inferno of sound that is robust, formidable, thrilling and all the while enlightening, freeing, and soul inspiring. For me, what I find so wonderful about Ala Mai is the seamless blend of the band’s heritage, native tongue, and metal. Not since Rammstein, have I heard a language that fits so poetically with a sound and not since Rammstein have I been so enthralled to learn another language so I can truly experience what Shepherds Reign so brilliantly sings about.
Ala Mai showcases the band’s commitment to preserving their cultural legacy and it bursts with raw intensity and fervour. Every single song is a masterpiece that vibrates with an unbridled passion and fierceness.
The title track, “Ala Mai” flawlessly showcases the spirit of Shepherds Reign. The tribal drums and waitling guitars pair wonderfully with the vocals from Filiva’a, that one is swept into a transcending moment of being one with the Universe…yes, while even headbanging.
It’s the way Shepherds Reign is able to balance the aggression of the music and the softness of spirit that makes Ala Mai magical.
The softness of spirit shines within the ballad-esque “Cold Summers Nights” and the stunning piano driven “Never Forgotten”. The tracks not only allow a moment of breath for the listener, but shows that metal isn’t always brutal and soul crushing.
Ala Mai transcends not only genres but also cultural boundaries. Coupled with Shepherds Reign‘s unyielding devotion to their art, Ala Mai is not only a spiritual connection, but a cathartic release that will liberate the souls of metal fans while simultaneously sonically assaulting their senses with ritualistic rhythms, melodic layers, irresistible vocals, and infectious energy.
MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Ala Mai”, “Ua Masaa”, “The World Bleeds”, “Cold Summers Night”, “Atall’l”, “Samoa Mo Samoa”
FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Ala Mai”, “Nafanua”, “Atall’l”, “Never Forgotten”
