Shun takes heavy rock to new heights with Dismantle

It started in 2021 when Shun released their debut on Small Stone Records. After Matt Whitehead stepped away from the spontaneous rock band Throttlerod, he began exploring a more precise process to what heavy music meant to him and the path of building strength in their music. Where each Throttlerod album was different and evolving, Shun is here to mold new sonic worlds.

Thanks to Throttlerod, it influenced Shun and the next direction.

“Scott from Small Stone and I became friends during the Throttlerod reign,” said Whitehead. “As Shun, we decided to record some songs in our drummer’s garage. But then the pandemic hit, and we finished the recording in our respective homes. I sent it to Scott one night just as a friend for some feedback. He really liked it and wanted us to record more songs. We were completely remote and never meant for our debut to be put out as a record.”

But that does not downplay its relevance, and Shun quickly caught the eye of the stoner/doom fan base.

Fast forward to 2024, and through the assistance of veteran J. Robbins, the band now have their studio moment with Dismantle. “J. Robbins really lends to the production. This album could have gone off the rails if we recorded with someone else we were not familiar with. We did not go in there knowing what we wanted, and it was not until halfway through that we knew what we needed. We could have added 15 guitars. I always want an album to be bigger and its own experience. What J. Robbins brought out of us was not that far off.”

Consider their self-titled release a soft opening because Dismantle is a monster with a massive amount of momentum even when the band builds on perspective and not sheer force. And instead of expanding time to explore, they constrict it to make sure nothing is wasted. For Whitehead, as much as he appreciates the bands who express songs through epic time explorations, it’s not what this band is. Everything with Shun is wonderfully intentional with little time to contemplate and evaluate, which gives this album an increased testament to what incredible songwriting is like.

“We just plugged in and went and did not overanalyze what we were doing. This truly was the most fun I had recording. We did it fast. I try to approach music like a diary and not overcook things. There were maybe two ideas that had been around for a long time. But most of this stuff, the idea was generated and the song formed very, very quickly. We put everything together in about six months.

There are a lot of intricacies in our music and sometimes we think what have we done here. Have we made it way too difficult for the average person? For me, I have music that I like. There have always been pop sensibilities where I like big choruses and some hooks here and there. I try to anchor something in that if it goes too far off the rails.”

Dismantle is a journey. It takes you into the depths of their creative capabilities, guiding mood and emotion in a way a lot of bands cannot convey at this level. But the band maintains its sense of goofiness, and it comes through with the song “NRNS,” a more punk rock romp. “I was doing something weird with my guitar and my tuning. It was stupid low. There was no good reason for us to do that, but I started playing these chord progressions in that tuning, and it was done.”

For a few, the band paired themselves down to a three piece with Rob Elzey on drums and Jeff Baucom on bass. But life has a way of coming back around. Bo Leslie, original Throttlerod guitarist, hung up his guitar shortly after the band disbanded. That is until Whitehead recently reconnected with him.

“I always loved his reckless abandon approach. He’s just fearless and will try anything. When I asked him to join, he said that he thought we would never ask. Although part of the band, we decided to record Dismantle as a three piece because we just did not have time for him to get comfortable with the songs. We decided to record as a three piece as if we were a four piece. To have someone join you, you need at least six months to get to know them.

He started to come to practice and began learning the songs. It took until maybe the last show that we did recently that I feel like we are truly a unit.”

What Shun has done so far has illuminated the band’s raw talent and creativity to craft songs that stick with you. If they can accomplish Dismantle as a three piece, it’s exciting to imagine what they will do as a four piece. For now, let Dismantle seep into your pores and embrace an incredible rock experience.