DRUIDS
SHADOW WORK

Shrouded in mystique and driven by the invigorating power of low notes, psychedelic metal outfit DRUIDS return with their fourth studio LP Shadow Work. With an album title referring to to one of the chief ideas of the notable psychoanalist Carl Gustav Jung, the trio from Iowa present a wild, riff-laden journey through the desolate wastelands of the subconscious. Combining the sonic prowess of Mastodon with the psychedelic heaviness of OM, DRUIDS serve their grooves with a distinctly forward-thinking attitude, taking their witchy brand of psychedelic sludge metal to a new level of sophistication. Truthfully, these three musicians sound nothing like a three-piece, but rather like an army, the way they march through their songs. The big, fat murky bass sound of Drew Rauch forms a solid counterbalance to the majestic guitar wizardry of his brother Luke, who channels the spirits of classic guitar heroes like Zakk Wylde and Billy Gibbons. Meanwhile drummer Keith Rich channels the voodoo magic of the nightly tribal drums ringing out across the plains of Central Africa, propelling the potent riffs of the Rauch brothers onward into the heart of darkness, where they continue to morph and restlessly shape-shift. All across these eight phantasmagorical tracks, DRUIDS portray their unique way of exploring riffs and grooves in multiple ways – both texturally and contextually – exhausting each possibility before moving to the next part and rarely to return to the first. However, instead of rejecting the traditional verse-chorus scheme altogether, the trio has found a new way of playing with certain formulas of song structure at times, while intentionally straying away from them at other times. Emerging from the murky waters of the pandemic years, DRUIDS have created a sweeping opus that offers an experience that exists on the interface of expression and introspection. An enlightening mix of psychedelic rock, atmospheric sludge and classic heavy metal that is both deeply rooting and refreshingly uplifting.