When Shakhtyor were formed in Hamburg in 2009, the direction initially seemed clear: instrumental doom. It soon became apparent, however, that the trio would not be content to stay within those confines. Doom and sludge collide with black and death metal eruptions, psychedelic jam passages, hypnotic grooves and spacey synthesizer textures. For Shakhtyor, genre boundaries are material to work with rather than limitations.
"Simulacron" is now the Hamburg trio’s third album, following their self-titled debut and its successor "Tunguska". Once again recorded at Tonmeisterei, the album sounds anything but stagnant despite the band’s long history. Quite the opposite: the songwriting has become more concise and focused, while their musical boundaries have been pushed even further. Songs longer than 10 minutes are no exception.
The guitars remain the crushing foundation. Riff walls flatten everything in their path before the songs drift into psychedelic passages or are swept away by eruptive black/death metal assaults. Particularly effective are the long, stoic grooves that burrow almost hypnotically into your skull. Shakhtyor create pressure not through constant speed, but through dynamics, repetition and carefully constructed tension.
Samples and electronic soundscapes are far more than mere decoration. They give the songs a dark, at times almost cosmic atmosphere, making "Simulacron" feel like the soundtrack to some seriously twisted trip inside your head.
Seventeen years after their formation, Shakhtyor remain difficult to categorize. "Simulacron" combines crushing riff power with psychedelic depth and atmospheric finesse. A heavy, idiosyncratic beast – and precisely for that reason, one hell of an intriguing album.