"I’ve been enamored SHEPHERDS CROOK from the moment I chanced upon ‘Black Lake’ (2018) some years gone, which inspired an impromptu review. Here is a band that should be, in my mind, every bit as familiar to aficionados of doom metal as Dopethrone, Bongzilla, and Cough. This opinion is founded on more than the strong emotional connection the music has made with me over the years. Every sludge lover I’ve had occasion to introduce the Trondheim duo to has taken to them immediately.
[...]
The principal drivers of this project are multi-instrumentalist Ole Hell and vocalist Nestor. Together, they’re a force to be reckoned with in the heavy underground, with Ole’s penchant for composing dank rhythms and forlorn guitar leads that touch a nerve every time. Nestor completes the picture with characteristic gravelly crooning that carries more evil, hissing ire than a den of pissed off vipers.
Before us lay the latest long-player of the lot, 'Mat For Månen’ (2021) – or “Food For The Moon” – which is such a brilliant title when you consider how suitable this music is for humid summer nights full of barbeque, beer, and self-loathing. If the dog’s fabled bark at the moon could be rendered in relatable terms, it might end up sounding like Shepherds Crook."
Written by Billy Goate @ Doomed & Stoned
doomedandstoned.com/post/655441804281413632/shepherdscrook?fbclid=IwAR2E6JM2dGOyckr9CsIOV3IVdWplAHswKeglYAjVxkZ9Avctn9mJwm6KJ_g
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Mat For Månen is a 31 minute trek in the dark depths of everything that is LOW & SLOW with punishing bass guitars bringing a sublime level of FUZZY BASED DOOM. The vocals from Nestor are bleak and full-on DEVIL WORSHIPPING mode and it brings an icy demeanor to the overall flow and feel of the band. There is still a lot of movement for the guys to explore the darker depths of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal with some dark touches of Psychedelic Rock.
[...]
Mat For Månen is another well-produced and supremely entertaining record from Shepherds Crook. The vocals may be too jarring for some but that’s their loss. For the rest of us brave souls, this album is a much needed album to entice our dark souls with.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe @ Outlaws of the Sun
outlawsofthesun.blogspot.com/2021/08/shepherds-crook-mat-for-manen-album.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR1EAHGSbIWwx9dmW5_ILmc7wK1yi7cEs5SsIqVs6WdT8kEwBUBiywb6rFY
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"Mat for Månen also impresses through its compositions. The album works in many ways in two parts, where three five minutes stand for the first quarter and the two-part mastodon "Ingen Morgenkvist" takes the baton on to the end. The first trio of songs is an excellent stretch, where Shepherd's Crook manages to have it's feet firmly planted in a simple, raw and dark doom-metal landscape, but at the same time adds enough additional elements that it never gets too one-tracked. Some great lead guitars light up the endings of "The Narrow" and the title track, and on my personal favorite "Barfight" Hell slams in with some really blues-like stoner riffs a la Sleep while Nestor spoils it all with long and gruesome screams."
Written by Alexander Lange @
metallurgi.org
metallurgi.org/2021/08/08/metallurgiske-funn-ukas-favoritt-28/?fbclid=IwAR0jZ9GVaDrSvL5T9wadNu0LcleWIuUF_ry03k9dNtdbZQBddzRW9Wto60A