Yoke Shire: A Foreshadowing CD Reviews

So what about the music then? Well it´s hard to describe really I guess you could say that it has a prog metal sound overall but that wouldn´t be a very good description since there´s so much more to the music. Both the tracks are in fact very good and the musicians are very talented no doubt about it, but what impresses me most is the variation and diversity.of the music. They´re obviously influenced by many different types of music and both tracks reflect that. This is especially true with the second track "Shape of A Dancer" where you can hear influences from Jazz, funk and blues etc. It´s a really good track that could perhaps be best described as a "slightly funky power jazz piece combined with a bluesy harmonica"... well there´s a description for you... I guess you´ve got to hear it to fully understand what I mean. Both these tracks are available on their new cd Masque of Shadows which has just been released I think. Yoke Shire plays intelligent progrock with a sound of their own and if the full cd is anything like this it will be well worth having. So be on the lookout for it or you might really miss something!!

Yoke Shire is an amazing three piece band. They utilize every sound and nuance imaginable, ranging from incredible (and I mean incredible) bass lines, sizzling guitar work and quirky synth passages to earth shattering vocals. Heck, they make Emerson, Lake & Palmer look like amateurs on this awesome two-song "A Foreshadowing".

Craig Herlihy's bass is so huge that it sounds like Godzilla is in the room with you while his unrivaled vocal stylings are equally astonishing. Meanwhile, his brother Brian Herlihy injects mesmerizing guitar work into each of the compositions with dream-like results while drummer Brad Dillon sets a rock-solid foundation for this gargantuan performance.

Yoke Shire is poised on the brink of stardom. A&R reps need to check this band out!!

When I first heard Yoke Shire's music several years ago, I was taken back by their highly experimental elements and a sound that was just a couple years ahead of their time. Now that prog-metal has made a name for itself, Yoke Shire has the perfect opportunity to throw their unique rock flavours into the market.

Containing remarkable guitar, bass and drums, and smooth vocals, plus whatever else they managed to throw in, both songs on this disc [A Foreshadowing] are thought-provoking, and oddly enough, catchy. Once again, if these two tracks are any indication as to the quality of the full-length release ["Masque of Shadows"], those prog fans searching for the lighter, much more creative side of the genre, need to get their hands on some Yoke Shire music.

This is just a preliminary sampler of a full-length album ["Masque of Shadows"], and I'm geared and primed for an all-out assault when it arrives. In the meantime, I play the two tracks over and over and try to figure out who this trio reminds me of.

Yoke Shire is a Massachusetts-based power-laden rock outfit that seems to be doing things a bit differently from everyone else. The two tracks on "A Foreshadowing" are "Maiden Voyage" and "Shape of a Dancer", which will appear on the forthcoming "Masque of Shadows."

…"Maiden Voyage" begins with a heart-pounding bass beat that is then coupled with a solid electric guitar grind. I can almost envision the light or laser show that could accompany this in a small club or large arena. It has an eerily early '70s metal feel, kind of like Iron Butterfly perhaps, but with acoustic strums, organ, and layered gothic-like vocals its not an exact fit. Not at all. The lyric "She'll be down by the water" is oft-repeated, but with the mood and style created, it doesn't matter. And the vocals carry it so well, too.

Then there's "Shape of a Dancer." This doesn't reverberate like the other, yet has its own energy. And just when the song builds to an anticipated crescendo, no. Instead, Craig Herlihy blows through a decent and surprisingly not out of place harmonica. The musical combination defies categorization. It's funky, artsy, groovy, and rockin'.

Herlihy and his brother Brian Herlihy lay down the guitars while Brad Dillon provides a solid rhythmic foundation. Possibly the full-length album will disclose obvious influences, but if these tracks are of any sign, this trio may be creating a fresh power rock sound.