Reviews

Album Review: Master Splinter - Self-titled Debut

by The Metalverse

Updated October 02, 2024

Master Splinter releases self-titled debut album

Track Listing

A Caustic Version
Tonopah
Wednesday Night - 2023 Remaster
Ronin (Cross the Sea)
The Rage
Kanshousuo
The Game (You Lost)
The Aug Man Cometh
Dragon's Blood

Review

Reigning from Portland, Oregon, the 3 piece hard rock act Master Splinter (somebody really likes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) just released their self-titled debut album on September 20th.

The first track "A Caustic Version" builds up with an impactful drum intro before launching into hard-hitting sludgy guitar riffage and harmonizing singing vocals. Master Splinter quickly establishes that they don't take themselves too seriously with goofy and eccentric spoken vocal lines that show the band's personality. "A Caustic Version" seems to take the sound of a stoner/sludge metal track with groovy albeit somewhat repetitive riffage.

"Tonopah" starts with fuzz-ridden guitar tones and a mix that sounds a little rougher around the edges than the previous track. Master Splinter continues their stoner metal sound as grungey guitar leads and singing melodies create a grooving yet heavy atmosphere. Switching between singing, growling, and different humorous vocal inflections, Master Splinter keeps things interesting. The song features a unique solo that's straight out of the 90's but with added psychedelic gusto.

"Wednesday Night" jumps right into it with a harsher guitar sound before slowing into emphasized jazz/blues singing, funky wah-wah guitar, and goofy "shooby doobops" in the background showing a funny take on old-school blues-rock/. With "Wednesday Night" Master Splinter showcases new musical influences beyond the rest of the album so far, showing bold experimentation.

"Ronin (Cross the Sea)" starts off with clean guitar melodies and melancholy vocals in a more mainstream modern rock style before transitioning into old-school grunginess. Master Splinter displays a gentler and more melodic side of their music with "Ronin" being one of our favorite tracks of the album so far.

The 5th song, "The Rage" starts with heavily reverbed western guitar chords, quickly creating a wild-west desert ambience as distant singing grows in volume. While instrumentally the song is pretty tight, the mixing/recording quality does leave some to be desired with less clarity on this song than on previous ones in the album. Clocking in at 5 and a half minutes, "The Rage" is a more experimental track that features progressive instrumentation and soaring vocal hooks.

"Kanshousuo" begins with layers of vocal samples chanting at once, creating a hectic and somewhat dissonant intro before leaping into bouncing groovy instrumental riffage and distorted singing. Master Splinter experiments with seemingly random vocal effects panning between left and right behind the main vocals as whispers, vocoders, screams, and more jump out at you. After some old-school guitar shreddage, the song fades out with the whimsical and chaotic chants from the intro.

Equally progressive and stoner-esque, "The Game (You Lost)" is a sludging hard rock/metal track that showcases tempo changes, lower octave singing vocals, and riffage at the forefront of the sound. The second half of the song picks up pace and energy as more vocal layering is added and soundscapes are filled with much more going on before fading out with ambient distortion.

"The Aug Man Cometh" starts with growing feedback and cats meowing in the background as chugging guitar builds into singing vocals and unique panning riser effects. The song's chorus utilizes multiple vocal harmonies although some of them seem to be off-pitch and clashing with each other, creating a slightly disconcerting melody. In a distinct bridge, the band shows off humor with unique lyrics that repeat "The Aug Man he cometh... To slurpeth your blood".

"Dragon's Blood" might sound like a power metal track name but Master Splinter continues their onslaught of sludgy, stoner metal, as they sing self-aware stereotypical fantasy lyrics with overexaggerated rolling R's. "Dragon's Blood" is a slower-paced track that continuously chants the song's title and does "Drag on" a little (haha see what we did there) but all in the name of stoner metal with a clear attitude that doesn't stay too serious.

Overall Master Splinter's debut album is a pretty strong showcase of stoner and sludge metal that fans of those genres will enjoy. While some of the mixing/mastering varied from song to song and some of the tracks ran on a little too long, we love Master Splinter's boldness, experimentation with over-exaggeration and humor, and the personality that they show in their music. You can stream Master Splinter's debut album "Master Splinter" out on all platforms now.