Dead Shrine – Cydonia Mensa

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · May 13, 2025

Dead Shrine is a one man band from Hamilton, New Zealand. Formed in 2021, Dead Shrine is the masterful musical art work from Craig Williamson (Lamp Of The Universe, ex-Arc Of Ascent, ex-Datura, and ex-Azazel). Williamson creates, plays, and records everything himself. I was a little familiar with Datura (just recently) but never heard anything else from him. The debut album from Dead Shrine was called The Eightfold Path, and was released in 2023. Dead Shrine have returned with their sophomore album, Cydonia Mensa, which came out on April 25th 2025. The record is on Astral Projection and contains eight tracks around forty two minutes long.

Dead Shrine is the first project from Craig Williamson that I am thoroughly absorbing. Cydonia Mensa is the kind of record that you just wanna keep listening to. From the opening colossal riff of “Serpents Of The Sun”, I was immediately drawn in. The fuzzy desert rock vibes are alive and thriving with this hard rocking mammoth. You know it’s good, when you have that main riff stuck in your head days after.“Serpents Of The Sun” has a modern and classic sounding style that permeates all eight tracks in astounding form. Williamson has a genius musician’s mind to be able to create and produce such spellbinding music. His vocals remind me of John Garcia. Not necessarily in the sound but more in the style of how he sings. It sounds fantastic and works beautifully with the music. The title track “Cydonia Mensa” has a slower and doomier aesthetic. The song is a power house and has a Sabbath vibe happening throughout every rhythm. Williamson’s singing is stellar once again and there’s some lush backing vocals on certain parts, which are subtle but stunning. I also hear some proto-metal and classic seventies riff rocking on this one. The guitar leads are shredding and jives nicely with the doom riffs.

“The Sacred Light” rocks out some cowbell and more fuzz stomping grooves. The level of distortion on the guitars is generous and obnoxious (in a good way). The vocals are right there to swoon you in and connect you with the hard grinding rock. The vintage tones are infectious once again and you can’t help but want to move, via foot tapping, head bobbing, or total body shakes and convulsions. The vocals have an early seventies tonality on this song and they sound fantastic. The fourth track, aptly named “Monuments”, is also a ripper! The song has a bludgeon riff of doom that leads the track throughout the duration. Dead Shrine layers in on the heavy psychedelic textures and blankets some ravishing keys over the rhythm sections. It really enhances their sound with levels of melody and delightful variability. The next track “Temple Of Saturn” is another crushing tune. The smooth and retro-sounding beginning guitar riff is quite outstanding. There is a great amount of guitar soloing going on towards the end which is magnificent. The whole flow of the song with the captivating vocals to boot equals awesome.

“Redeemer” dishes out more chunky stoner grooves in abundance with hook driven vocals. Dead Shrine gives each song just the right amount of sonic fulfillment depending on the situation that’s called for. Craig Williamson never over does it just for the sake of filling space. Each instrument has its place, be it guitar, drums, bass, vocals, and keyboards. The seventh track called “Evolution Garden” is a graceful and mellow composition. It features clean/ acoustic guitar strumming with splashing cymbals and elegant leads. Williamson expresses another facet to his incredible voice. The song has a cosmic and trippy allure with tuneful melodies and beautiful harmonies. It’s a perfect set point for the album to pause a moment from the heavy collision of fuzz and pile driving riffs. The song is also a bridge to adjoin the final cut with the rest of Cydonia Mensa.

“Illumination Of Knowledge” closes out this outstanding record. The almost eight minute song begins with haunting seanced keys that swirl into atmospheric sounds and heavy riffing. The song stays fairly chill with a brooding stoner rhythm and airy tones taking control. The vocals are at the right intensity for this one. This is the perfect blend of the hard rocking stoner doom laced with heavy psych and atmospheric tones and melodies. The track ultimately finalizes after some very cool tribal-esc percussion, utilizing the bongos. I am really enjoying this album and it just keeps getting better each listen. Dead Shrine has a classic and contemporary sound that is masterfully executed on Cydonia Mensa. Craig Williamson is a true talent and musician who has a very critical and passionate ear for good music. These eight songs that he has crafted are exceptional. Dead Shrine is awesome and more people need to hear this album!