UMUR
"Head for the Shallow" is the debut full-length studio album by US sludge metal act Big Business. The album was released through Hydra Head Records in November 2004.
It´s apparent from the opening notes of "Head for the Shallow", that Big Business are a very unique sounding act, with their distorted bass, drums and vocal dominated sound. It´s not everyday you come across a metal act where the guitar plays second violin to everything else. There´s a rather obvious Melvins influence in the music, but other than that Big Business have a pretty unique sound. The tracks are generally simple yet effective and raw. Lead vocalist/bassist Jared Warren has an extremely raw and rusty voice (the man sounds like he has swallowed rusty nails) and his vocal performance here is a great asset to the music.
There´s a nice energy in the music and the rythm section really excel in driving the music forward. There´s something irresistibly charming about Big Business and it all starts with that well playing and adventurous rythm section. The sound production is raw and powerful too, which is always great, but the actual songwriting is slightly lacking. While there are some incredibly powerful, raw and catchy tracks (and moments in other tracks) on "Head for the Shallow", the tracks aren´t always that memorable. It´s something the band would successfully improve on for their next album. It´s a minor issue though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still more than deserved.