Shapeshifter (6)

With skills honed over four albums and countless sold-out shows, Shapeshifter have consolidated their awesome powers on brand new long player, The System is a Vampire, creating a future-proofed sound that is both unrelenting and uplifting.

If you haven’t witnessed Shapeshifter lock into one of their monstrous live grooves that synthesize barreling drum’n'bass, cavernous dub soundscapes and pounding hard rock, The System is a Vampire will transport you to these stages where all parts move as one and tempos are ratcheted to breaking point, and Shapeshifter command the crowd to follow its lead.

When Shapeshifter’s five-strong line up of PDigsss (vocals), Devin Abrams (sax/keys/synths), Sam Trevethick (guitar/synths/sampler), Nick Robinson (bass/synths/MPC) and Johnny Hooves (drums), fuse their talents as one band, they drive a sound as unrelenting as a force of nature. The System is a Vampire is a true document of their heavy soul, designed to motivate dance floors, arenas and festival fields.

While Shapeshifter continue to set their own terms for their music and how it’s presented, this didn’t stop The System is a Vampire debuting at number one on the New Zealand album charts. Its success has been as unstoppable as the rolling drum breaks that fuel Shapeshifter – the album was released on a Friday and by lunchtime had sold more albums than any other that week, going on to become their third LP to clock platinum sales.

It’s little wonder that Shapeshifter have won this kind of loyalty – their stadium rave is custom built to draw together music lovers, delivering living, breathing electronic music that opens the door to all.

On album track ‘Dutchies’, PDigsss implores listeners to “Hold onto the vibe” – The System is a Vampire allows Shapeshifter’s legion of fans to do just that, translating their elemental powers onto record, a take-out version of the band’s live alchemy – never before has Shapeshifter bottled lightning quite like they have on this album. Like their live shows that consistently sell out across New Zealand and Australia, The System is a Vampire’s 11 tracks are calls-to-arms, instructions aimed at motivating bodies and minds.

For over a decade, the musicians in Shapeshifter have made their own lane for their heavy soul, working outside the system to create uncompromising and unstoppable electronic rhythms, wholly on their terms.