Exclusive Premiere: The Shrine, “On the Grind”

The Shrine, Venice, California’s trio of hell-bound skaters and self proclaimed “destroyers of rock ‘n’ roll,” have been using the term “BLESS OFF” as a sort of tagline for the band and a call to arms to all of their fans since the group formed. Those two words, which mean “freedom, fuck you, and whatever you want,” have been sprayed on walls, printed on patches and posters, tattooed on limbs, yelled at hundreds of shows all over the world, acted as the title of their 2011 demo, and now, finally, the infamous line is gracing the cover of their third full-length album (and second for Tee Pee Records).

There truly couldn’t be a better slogan for this band: each member of The Shrine brought an awesomely different influence to the table (punk, metal and glam) and through some magical force of rock, they forged a band that can’t really be compared to anything else. (People try to liken them to Black Flag, and Chuck Dukowski himself actually gave the band the huge honor of using leftover Black Flag lyrics in the track called “The Duke,” but that’s just because he deems them worthy. And they are.) The hedonistic lyrics, thick and bawdy bass lines and scorching Gibson guitar solos make Bless Off into a massive display of pure, unadulterated rock and roll. They truly, sincerely stand alone in what they’re doing to the world of music, and thank fuck they’re doing it.

The latest track from the album is “On The Grind,” which sounds like a midnight skate-park party where a ‘70s arena rock band and a pissed-off punk band accidentally got booked to play the same time slot, so they all dropped acid, jammed out and told anyone with a problem with it to get lost. Enjoy it exclusively through your friendly neighborhood MetalSucks below.

Bless off!

Bless Off comes out on March 11th via Tee Pee Records. Pre-order it here.