SISTER SHOTGUN
“FRAGMENTS”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9.5/10

Sister Shotgun are a hard rock band from the UK formed in 2011, who have released one single, ‘No Hope’ (2015), two E.P.’s, ‘For The Love Of Hate (2013) and ‘Devour’ (2017), and finally their first full length album ‘Fragments’ in 2019.

Hailing from the midlands, Sister Shotgun bring forth an energy and aggressiveness that turns heads and makes people stop whatever it is they’re doing to listen. The bands new album ‘Fragments’, fairly bellows its arrival into the metal/rock scene – igniting wave after wave of awe and wonder at just how much punch and crunch is aimed at you. Sister Shotgun serve up a heavy hitting barrage of hard rock that is gonna slam you through walls, and then dish out a soothing power ballad to heal your bruises – such is the diversity of songs ‘Fragments’ has to offer. Opening with the frantically fast paced and fierce (not a Dio cover) ‘Sacred Heart’, Sister Shotgun deliver a booming opening salvo of deadly accuracy, hitting you fairly and squarely in the middle o’ your head. The vocal talent of lead singer Chloe Ozwell is as gorgeous as she is, and for forty six minutes across ten songs we are treated to a fabulous array of diversity – from bold and powerful to angelic to sultry. She really does have an amazing voice. ‘Sacred Heart’ is a storming blend of metal, rock, alternative and progressive – Sister Shotgun are a band not afraid to experiment and push the boundaries of their musical direction. ‘She Lives’ bustles into sight and proceeds to cut a savage path through the realms of the progressive metal genre. A soaring vocal performance accompanies the heavy hitting ‘She Lives’ as it thunders mid tempo to an end.

Picking up the pace and energy levels, ‘From The Ashes’ is a fiery foray of out and out metal. Hitting harder than a wrecking ball, ‘From The Ashes’ is classic old school “foot on the monitor” heavy metal re-worked and re-invigorated for the modern age. A blistering opening triple salvo, showcasing the bands wide ranging and diverse musical spectrum, ‘Fragments’ the album, ambles on with ‘Fragments’ the song. A mellow beginning gives way to a thumping rhythm, giving way to a slow to mid tempo heavy ballad – the kind of ballad that’s too heavy for lighters in the air or swaying from side to side. But all the traits are cleverly tucked in there, including a soaring and soulful vocal delivery from the bands powerhouse singer. ‘Miss Fortune’ takes on the role of a heavy hitting and highly punchy doom laden, well not laden as such, I think sprinkled is a more apt description. ‘Cos the chorus break is a highly lively and feel good romp. Half way through the album and it’s clear to hear, the band are enjoying themselves, the music perfectly mixed and professionally polished with the vocals full of awe and wonder – Sister Shotgun are a band definitely on the up. Bringing the mood down, along with the lights, the hugely atmospheric power ballad ‘For The Love Of Hate’ sets a scene of slow dancing at a party, with a tremendously long queue of beau’s lining up to ask Miss Ozwell for a dance.

In stark contrast to the ballad that has just finished, ‘Kill The Lights’ is an up tempo, aggressive and brash slice of heavy metal with a vocal delivery that is great, but would have been fucking great if Chloe could have pushed her voice just a bit more and produced the throaty rasp that I know she is capable of. At the other end of the vocal scale though, ‘Silhouettes’ delivers a sensational, soulful, and faultless display of the angelic voice of Chloe. ‘Silhouettes’ is powerful and pulsating, hitting the sweet spot dead centre, and is one of many highlights the album has to offer. This album will elevate Sister Shotgun to new heights in the world of metal and rock, and should see them begin their journey on to the world stage. ‘Mourning Iris’ is another doom sprinkled heavy hitter that just simply delivers. Delivers what you may ask – everything is my answer… No matter what your musical preference – metal, rock, or any of the sub genres that orbit these two, you will find something here that really speaks to you, and that you fully understand. This isn’t just a hard rock album, it is a journey of discovery, of new styles, of songs you don’t know but already like! The journey comes to an end in a flourish of the heaviest that Sister Shotgun has to offer, ‘Scorn’ is a belter, with added whip, and finishes the album on a high – in fact, the album began on a high and remained there for the entire forty six minutes duration.

Overall, a pulsating and remarkable journey of diversity and discovery, this album ticks all the boxes for many different styles of metal and rock.

TRACKLIST

Sacred Heart
She Lives
From The Ashes
Fragments
Miss Fortune
For The Love Of Hate
Kill The Lights
Silhouettes
Mourning Iris
Scorn

https://sistershotgun.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SisterShotgun

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