Goat toes (wait... what?), vintage amps, sandpaper, CNN, and Motown might not sound like they have anything to do with each other. But this seemingly odd mix actually comprises the sounds and words of Missouri hard rockers Shaman's Harvest latest album, Red Hands Black Deeds for Mascot Records.
"Goat toes are the new cowbells," laughs rhythm guitarist Josh Hamler about the rural percussion instrument made literally of goat toes on a string. "It was in our producer Keith Armstrong's toolbox. We'd tell Keith we wanted a certain sound, and he'd pull stuff out that we never thought of, like the goat toes, sandpaper or an old rotary telephone."
Lyrically, the band ventured into new territory, taking on the current political, social, and economic struggles the USA is facing as a nation. The result is a darker, visceral, layered and decidedly warmer, more analog sound compared to their 2014 Mascot album Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns.