Ape Shifter - Ape Shifter II

  by Lisa Torem

published: 26 / 3 / 2019

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Review

Guitarist/songwriter Jeff Aug has toured with Stu Hamm, Soft Machine and Albert Lee, among others, and has been on the performance circuit for twenty-five years. Wildly ambitious, he set the Guinness record for the “most concerts performed in different countries in 24 hours” twice, according to Ape Shifter’s current press release. Ape Shifter, a Euro-festival favorite, have performed alongside he Skull and White Cowbell and more. From early March until the end of April, they will entertain fans throughout major cities in Germany. After 'Ape Shifter I' was released in March of 2017, the tremendous power trio consisting of guitarist Jeff Aug, bassist Florian Walter and drummer Kurty Munch, completed two European tours before getting back into the studio to record the new 'Ape Shifter II'. The album is a killer from start to finish. Although Jeff Aug’s shredding prowess is paramount, the musicianship of all members combined is truly stunning. Overall, Ape Shifter has an innate understanding of stoner/classic rock that bleeds through every cadence. The opening track, ‘Gravity,’ is the only track co-written by all three members; the rest are written by Aug. ‘Gravity’ leads off with a gut-wrenching riff and shows no mercy, with Munch’s monster drumming as an aggressive backdrop. Aug’s first reverential solo is sheer dynamite. The steel girder foundation of ‘Haskett’ equally packs a punch. ‘Mask of the Ancient Warrior’ is as fiery a track as the name suggests. Munch remains unapologetic throughout. ‘Shoegazer’ explodes into a halo of hallucinatory effects. The trio, with rigour, keep up the frenetic pace. Similarly ‘American Eagle’ conveys a rough-hewn confidence, meant to demand attention. On ‘7 Years Fat, 7 Years Lean,’ Ape Shifter dives straight into the abyss and comes out clean and self-assured. The off-kilter chord progression adds a great twist and the players back and forth leave one breathless. ‘Die Rausschmeiber’ finds the trio combining forces, thereby igniting a solitary blue flame. ‘Fu Manchu’ and ‘8 Shot’ drench the senses; though Walter especially shines. ‘No Chords Allowed, Jonathan’ features cool prog rock transitions that dare Aug to step up to the plate. On ‘Steve Avery is Innocent,’ Aug’s deeply rhythmic solo work enthralls, his mates hold up the bottom like scary giants. What that coursing through the veins? It’s ‘Juggy Jiggy Boom Boom,’ a deliriously eventful tune, with flashes of Edgar Winter slap bass. The anti-violent themed anthem, ‘Matilda,’ stands in striking contrast to the other twelve compositions. First off, because there are vocals. Secondly, there is sweeping violin courtesy of the gifted Kilian Kayser. And finally, because of the lasting and profound message: “Pick your friends and pick your fights and a bullet in the head don’t make it right…”

Track Listing:-

1 GRAVITY
2 HASKETT
3 MASK OF THE ANCIENT WARRIOR
4 SHOEGAZER
5 AMERICAN EAGLE
6 7 YEARS FAT, 7 YEARS LEAN
7 DIE RAUSSCHMEIßER
8 FU MANCHU
9 8 SHOT
10 NO CHORDS ALLOWED, JONATHAN
11 STEVEN AVERY IS INNOCENT
12 JIGGY JIGGY BOOM BOOM
13 MATILDA