To look brave in the face of adversity and contain yourself to some form unhindered through all uncertainty is a task few can accomplish and yet music prospers in even the most derelict of occasion; fellows of great compositional worth within the defined forms of Death, Thrash, and Sludge, SHATTER BRAIN, only trudges forward into grounds uncharted, albeit with influences that carry a familiar tune.

The band's debut album commences with the track, "Talk In Fear," a powerful and almost anthemic song revolving around reticent voicings and swallowed pride. The song following thereafter on the tail of its predecessor is "Lorem Ipsum" a title which usually refers to Latin gibberish, though in the context of the song is used to refer to social obsolescence and the overarching sensation of being lost in a crowd. The title track, "Pitchfork Justice," segues from the previous song on a burgeoning crescendo of whispers before the instruments join in; the song contains a multitude of tempo and rhythm changes, the music in tandem with the lyrics accurately conveys the idea of instability.

The instruments are well mixed and even better performed in most capacities-the guitars are rich and reaching filling in that mid tone niche while leaving plenty of room tonally speaking for the bass and vocals; the bass is powerful beyond contest, not only providing the foundation for the rest of the band but as well committing itself to being audible and driving; the drums are a mixed bag for me, in one aspect they're in the pocket and sync in perfection with the bass giving the band a great amount of strength, but in situations where the drums are given focus they sound unnatural and remove the listener from the illusion of a full band such as in the openings to "Noble Savagery," or "Talk In Fear" where it's clear to discern that the body has some type of plastic or false sound to it and the cymbals have a very small phaser or flanger effect on top of them, I don't know if this is due to the drums being recorded in a less than optimal capacity or if they're just plain Jane programmed, though regardless of whatever reason it takes away from the rest of the band; the vocals are well balanced and mixed with the rest of the instruments, resting on top of the instrumentation without blending in or standing out too greatly.

The overarching theme of "Pitchfork Justice" is that of helplessness and the inability to create change and the music does an excellent job in modulating both themes through the compositions - the music shows a great amount of diversity from the band without straying too far from a central focus and would be a favorable addition to anybody's library whom has a penchant towards raw aggression, the only flaws - if you would name it such - I could find on the record were the unauthentic feel of the drums and the desire that the song "Life Ephemeral" was just a hair longer.