Emerging in 2008, The Shrine nonetheless projects the untamed spirit of an earlier, less restrained period. Their music draws from punk's initial wave and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal while evoking history without leaning on reminiscence. The Venice, California trio—guitarist and vocalist Josh Landau, bassist Court Murphy, and drummer Jeff Murray—fuses propulsive force with bluesy riffs in what registers as a forbidden cross between Black Flag and Black Sabbath. They first unveiled their self-described "psychedelic violence" on the 2012 debut Primitive Blast, sustained the same headlong approach with the 2014 follow-up Bless Off, and in 2016 entered an agreement with the prominent metal imprint Century Media, which issued their third album Rare Breed that same year.
