Search - Williams, Karota :: Shrine

Another brilliant release from Rozz Williams

Josh | Boston, NY USA | 06/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When most people who are familar with the work of Rozz Williams hear his name, Daucus Karota is probably the last project that comes to mind. That is rather unfortunate. The Shrine EP is yet another brilliant jewel in Rozz's impressive discography.The music here takes on a bit of a 70s rock flavor, even covering Iggy & The Stooges' "Raw Power", yet still often manages to recall the musical structures and bass/guitar/drum/vocal sound of some of the more straightforward Shadow Project material or Only Theatre Of Pain era Christian Death.Rozz's vocals are more melodic and less fragmented on this release than they are on most of the later Christian Death and Shadow Project material. Another notable difference in his vocal style here is the welcome absence of the dual vocal layers that pretty much became the standard for most of his 90s Christian Death and Shadow Project releases. The lyrics here are also more subdued than Rozz's other projects in keeping with the band's more direct rock delivery.Overall, this EP is a nice break from the more philosophical and somewhat less accessible material that makes up the majority of Rozz's brilliant catalogue. However, it also contains enough similarities to his other work to keep most fans happy. At under 20 minutes, it's a bit short, but it's also a great CD to put on repeat play..."

A concise gem you might easily miss.

gcl9 | Charlotte, NC USA | 06/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With this EP Williams broke away from the metallic gloom of the Shadow Project albums he'd been most recently working on to present a piece more interested in rock music than philosophy. The effort came off superbly. Imagine a few of the slower and more straigtforward selections of the Stooges catalog reworked into the sound and mood of the electric cabaret of Nightclubbing and Lust for Life. Rozz actually covers Raw Power here, changing it from ranting swagger to campy slink. Furthermore, his vocals are some of the best he'd ever record, shaping his slightly limited voice into a practiced but winning, pouting lounge lizard sneer that fits the mood of the music perfectly. I had been familiar only with his original Christian Death records when i first heard this, and until then, I thought he just couldn't sing; I was wrong. Also, the songs are tight and the short EP leaves you wanting more instead of overstaying its welcome. Almost perfectly conceived and executed, and really enjoyable."