April 16, 2026
Sun Dont Shine - From Birth To Death - Album Review
In this episode of the Shit Talk Reviews Heavy Metal Podcast, hosts Derek and John dive deep into the debut album From Birth To Death by the sludge/doom supergroup Sun Don’t Shine. Featuring a powerhouse lineup including Kirk Windstein and Todd Strange (Crowbar, Down), Kenny Hickey, and Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), the duo discusses how the record transcends typical genre boundaries.
The review highlights the album's unique blend of Black Sabbath-inspired doom, Soundgarden-esque grunge, and surprisingly melodic, Beatles-esque songcraft. They praise Kenny Hickey’s soaring vocal performance and the meticulous, filler-free songwriting that resulted from years of deliberate crafting. It is described as a "soundtrack for introspection and resilience" that elevates the modern metal landscape.
BIO
Sun Don't Shine is a heavy metal powerhouse that feels less like a new project and more like a tectonic shift in the heavy rock landscape. Emerging from the collective DNA of genre-defining acts, the band features a legendary lineup: the crushing riffage of
Together, they have moved beyond the boundaries of traditional sludge and doom to create something more layered and introspective. Their sound is a meticulous fusion of Sabbath-inspired weight and Soundgarden-esque grunge, polished with a sense of "Beatles-esque" melodic songcraft that sets them apart from the typical heavy underground.
The band’s debut album, From Birth To Death, was brought to the masses through the vision of Andrew and
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Sun Don't Shine dropped an album on us April 1st, From Birth to Death. Let's get into it right now, Derek.
12 seconds
Yeah, I find it fascinating that we are uh today we're actually celebrating the 16th year anniversary of Peter Steel's20 seconds
passing and we're sitting here talking about uh Kenny Hickeyi and Johnny Kelly of Typo Negative Fame and their new band Sun29 seconds
Don't Shine and fittingly uh it's the album title is From Birth to Death. So,35 seconds
here we are. Uh everything's going full circle and I love it. I think it's great and it's a great tribute that Peter's still around and that these guys, these43 seconds
great musicians are actually carving out a niche with a very unique record.48 seconds
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Who else? We've got Kirk Winstein on guitar and vocals from Crowbar and Down. We've also got uh56 seconds
Todd Strange on bass also from Crowbar and Down. Johnny Kelly on drums. Kenny Hickeyi on guitar and vocals. And they1 minute, 3 seconds
are a solid band. This is a solid record. Dwayne Simino uh produced and recorded it at OCD Studios and I have1 minute, 12 seconds
enjoyed the hell out of listening to it the past couple of days. Well, the past couple of weeks now. Uh unfortunately,1 minute, 17 seconds
we've tech problems and life have have gotten in the way or we would have been on this one sooner, but as you said,1 minute, 22 seconds
it's fitting that we're talking about it today.1 minute, 24 seconds
Yeah. Sorry, Kenny. Sorry, Connie. You guys have both been on the podcast. We would have done it sooner. Um but life gets in the way. I as you can see behind1 minute, 32 seconds
me, I don't know if you can, but I'm moving. Um, so life is definitely a little bit uh crazy, but let's start to with Power to Live. Um, there is a jam1 minute, 41 seconds
session in the middle of that track that I love and it felt a little bit typoavyy1 minute, 50 seconds
which would stand to reason because typo negative was always grounded in Black Sabbath. So what was your take on that track? Before we get into the my1 minute, 58 seconds
granular thoughts on it, I wanted to ask you what you think about will typo negative fans how how will Sun don't shine translate for typo negative fans?2 minutes, 9 seconds
It's a different animal, right?2 minutes, 11 seconds
Yeah, it it is not a typo negative record and and frankly for for Todd and Kirk, this is not really a crowbar2 minutes, 20 seconds
record. I mean, crowbar like literally Kirk sounds like he's got the biggest testicles in the world that he's dragging behind him when he in crowbar2 minutes, 29 seconds
and he feel sounds like he's in pain while dragging those huge testicles behind him. I'm not kidding with you.2 minutes, 35 seconds
And so when if you're expecting to hear crowbar here, you're not going to. Uh if you're expecting to hear the southern jam of down here, you're not going to.2 minutes, 47 seconds
If you're gonna look expecting to hear romantic vampire music or the pain of Peter Steel, you're not going to. But2 minutes, 54 seconds
what you are going to hear here is tinges of grunge, a lot I thought a lot3 minutes, 2 seconds
of Bad Motorfinger by Sound Garden and I and again, you know, I think it's a fair comparison. And then there's3 minutes, 9 seconds
obviously the Doom elements because that's who the four members of the band are, but Doom is not the driving force3 minutes, 16 seconds
here. and the heavy low end of crowbar is not the driving force and the goth and the keyboards and the and the the Beatlesesque um uh choruses of typo negative are not.3 minutes, 28 seconds
This is to me it's a alternative rock record that kind of teeters into metal.3 minutes, 34 seconds
Yeah, it it definitely has the doom frosting on the top. Uh the Sabbath inspiration of course the Beatles you3 minutes, 42 seconds
mentioned. There are some songs on here that I went, man. Like, and Kenny has talked about that that, you know, they3 minutes, 49 seconds
are one of his big inspirations and and it really shines through on this. Some of these tracks we've had for a little while. Um, you know, Crypton Amnesia,3 minutes, 58 seconds
uh, The Promise Song have been out for a while now, and the rest of this album sits so nicely against those two songs that we already that we already knew.4 minutes, 6 seconds
But going back to track by track, Power to Live, great song, nice album opener.4 minutes, 11 seconds
Gives you a real nice flavor of the ride that you're going to be on for the next uh what is it? 8 10 tracks.4 minutes, 17 seconds
Yeah. Yeah. And again, that that track really did a nice job of kind of uh setting the table for for me. And then4 minutes, 25 seconds
leading into Cryptonnia, I love that track. I've always liked it since it came out. It felt like, and I I mean4 minutes, 33 seconds
this in the best way possible, an ode to Chris Cornell right down to, and you'll probably correct me on this, the4 minutes, 41 seconds
bubbling uh like guitar tones in the middle of the track that that just screams it. It4 minutes, 48 seconds
absolutely screams sound. Uh what do you what would you call it? Yeah, it's a a tromolo or a vbrto effect on the guitar4 minutes, 55 seconds
which if in relation to Sound Garden is all over the song Black Hole Sun and it does have does have a similar vibe.5 minutes, 2 seconds
Yeah. and and Kenny just sounds great on this track and he5 minutes, 10 seconds
uh you know he had said when we met with him that he's sober and he's clean and he's feeling good and you know I always5 minutes, 19 seconds
and it makes me think about well if Peter was still alive what would they be playing together right now and how would they sound um but this is as close as5 minutes, 27 seconds
we're going to get and this is a great track definitely the high water mark for me for Who Sun Don't Shine are.5 minutes, 34 seconds
I love it. U you know that it came out November of 23. So again, we've had it for a while. And you know, the cascading5 minutes, 41 seconds
chord progressions throughout are super cool. Great vocal melodies. Illustrates what Kenny can do with his voice. Kenny5 minutes, 48 seconds
is strong. He's a strong singer. And he gets up there in range, too, which can kind of suck if you don't have the power5 minutes, 56 seconds
behind it to go that high. Uh but he's got it. And how much of that can be attributed to his physical health and sobriety, I I don't know,6 minutes, 5 seconds
but it translates here. And his vocals are really great throughout. Yeah.6 minutes, 9 seconds
Kryptonia, awesome song. Love it. Moving on to Coming Down, track three. Oh, sorry. Go ahead.6 minutes, 16 seconds
No, I mean, Coming Down is I love that uh Kenny kind of coups on this, but in a6 minutes, 23 seconds
very eerie way. Um, dual guitar harmonies are absolutely fantastic. It's6 minutes, 29 seconds
just an uh a very uh uh heavy atmosphere to this track and I think it's very well done and again it it6 minutes, 38 seconds
it it teeters on all the bands that I've kind of touched on in the past, but it's theirs. They made it their own.6 minutes, 44 seconds
It's a a song that really illustrates Kenny's kind of slippery vocal style when he wants to bring that trick out.6 minutes, 52 seconds
Uh that's very cool. I love Johnny's four on the floor on the kicks through a good portion of the song. And that's one of the great things about Johnny as a7 minutes
drummer is Johnny writes parts that serve the song. Super super solid drummer. And I'm not taking anything away when I say that he writes stuff7 minutes, 9 seconds
that again, it serves the song. It's not flash. It's not over the top. It works as a foundational element in the songs.7 minutes, 17 seconds
And he's been that kind of drummer as long as I've been aware of him. And it's great. It's one of the things that makes him such a great drummer and that that7 minutes, 25 seconds
choice and it's a it was a great choice to keep that kick drum simple through I think it's through the verses. It just7 minutes, 32 seconds
keeps everything moving. Uh and it's not too much and that's a pro and I you know I'm a Prague guy and I often like too7 minutes, 41 seconds
much but there is a limit and that's the great thing about him as a drummer and these guys as a band is it's restrained enough that it's not all over the place.7 minutes, 51 seconds
So yeah, it's just a great song. Solid. All you wasted. What's your take?7 minutes, 56 seconds
Love it. I love the matching guitar and baselines uh during the choruses. I think it's the choruses anyway. Uh with that single note progression.8 minutes, 4 seconds
This is one of the tracks that to my ear really shows Kenny's Beatles inspiration. Sure.8 minutes, 9 seconds
Just the just the song crafting and the way that the song is written. I think it is a super cool song and I I love the8 minutes, 17 seconds
progressions. It's one of It's one of the This album has a lot of standouts for me. I mean, [ __ ] Crypto Amnesia Coming Down, All You All You Wasted8 minutes, 24 seconds
Right There. Three out of the first four songs are standouts. That's That's pretty strong.8 minutes, 29 seconds
Absolutely. Uh I thought the chemistry on this was great. Great. It's kind of like a grubby noir. It's a just a dirty two-headed monster. Uh the two leads,8 minutes, 38 seconds
you know, um going back and forth. It's visceral. It's unapologetic. It was just such a a solid track. And again, like you said, you know, the the beginning,8 minutes, 49 seconds
the first half of this record is just a really, really solid piece. And that's not to say that what we're going to be talking about is poor, right? But wow,8 minutes, 58 seconds
you know, holy crap. And again, I'm the biggest typo fan in the world. I love down. I am a big huge down fan. I played9 minutes, 6 seconds
a ton of crowbar at WWLR in college radio. Um, so I'm a Crowbar fan going9 minutes, 13 seconds
way back into the '9s and yet here we are with something completely different from these artists and I'm eating it up9 minutes, 21 seconds
and it's not the heaviest [ __ ] in the world. It's not like, you know, it's not mashuga, you know, it's not periphery from our, you know, last podcast. It is9 minutes, 29 seconds
in fact something that stands on its own.9 minutes, 32 seconds
I think it bridges the gap though because it's heavy. It's it is not a light album. I mean, yeah, you could you could call it a rock album, but I think9 minutes, 39 seconds
that would be giving doing it a bit of a disservice, you know, for somebody who says, "Hey, I'd like to put on something that's got some got some teeth to it."9 minutes, 47 seconds
Not to completely go back to what we talked about at the top about them being, you know, metal, doom, hard rock,9 minutes, 55 seconds
some grunge in there, too. There's a couple of tracks in here. What is it? Uh, well, I think it's the next one. It's time to leave.10 minutes, 1 second
Yeah, when it's No, I was thinking of the promise song, but when it's time to leave. really dark vibes in this track.10 minutes, 7 seconds
Really dark. I think that I think and this is a I'm taking a bit of a swing here. I think that uh Kirk and Kenny10 minutes, 15 seconds
wrote the music for this and I'm the guitar players in the audience are going to crucify me if I don't get this right.10 minutes, 22 seconds
think it's called the friian mode and it's you know scales and all this technical stuff that I don't understand10 minutes, 29 seconds
but it lends this really dark ominous feel to it and it is all over this track. It's like heavy Doom vibes to me.10 minutes, 39 seconds
And I think that's cool for a lot of reasons. Not the least of which is that it illustrates that this band can do some really cool heavier [ __ ] without10 minutes, 48 seconds
being as bone crushingly heavy as some of the other stuff that we've gotten into over the years. It doesn't have to10 minutes, 56 seconds
be It doesn't have to crush your chest to have an impact. Agreed. And this11 minutes, 3 seconds
track feels like a a slower, more reflective uh track to me. Maybe a tribute to some11 minutes, 10 seconds
fallen heroes like Dime Bag Daryl and Peter.11 minutes, 14 seconds
Um you'd have to ask them and maybe we will. Um but it's very uh contemplative to morality and done so in a beautifully musicalheavy way.11 minutes, 25 seconds
And we're on track five and I still have yet to find a track I haven't liked. Yeah. Yeah. Moving on to the next one,11 minutes, 32 seconds
The Promise song. This track has all kinds of cool vibes to it. It kind of made me think, again, not to say that,11 minutes, 40 seconds
oh, it sounded just like or anything like that, but I picked up some '9s era, like Jane's Addiction vibes from this,11 minutes, 46 seconds
which I loved. They were one of my my favorite bands back. God, we're aging ourselves here, man. But, um, I got the gray.11 minutes, 54 seconds
Yeah, great choices with the guitar and the production effects that are layered in to a really great effect. The song has an awesome middle break in there.12 minutes, 3 seconds
Super super cool song.12 minutes, 5 seconds
Yeah, it's a bait and switch a little bit. It's fairly bouncy and optimistic.12 minutes, 8 seconds
Uh and then it drops into a crushing and again sunnesque durge. I think that that's a fair word. Um it's a versatile song.12 minutes, 18 seconds
You know, for me, I think a lot of times when you listen to, uh, categories of bands, um, and when you listen to doom12 minutes, 26 seconds
metal bands or stoner bands, and a lot of times they're kind of mushed in together, you think of them as being kind of, you hear one song, you've heard them all.12 minutes, 36 seconds
Yeah.12 minutes, 37 seconds
And if they're classifying themselves as a doom metal band, Sun Don't Shine. Mhm.12 minutes, 44 seconds
They're not a oneote doom band. And I thought that this track really made that point. It's like, [ __ ] you, Doom12 minutes, 52 seconds
industry that or Doom bands out there that have 10 tracks that sound the same and just go get high and like it.13 minutes
They're writing some serious music and they're making you think and they're giving you some thoughtprovoking ear candy. Yeah, there is some really,13 minutes, 9 seconds
really solid song craft on this album,13 minutes, 11 seconds
which is cool. You know, when I was a younger music listener, I don't know that I appreciated the work that went13 minutes, 19 seconds
into songwriting. You know, you'd hear it a song that had a catchy melody or whatever or had a cool guitar riff in it13 minutes, 26 seconds
or a cool drum intro or a drum fill, but it's really way more than those individuals. I mean, it's more than the13 minutes, 33 seconds
sum of its parts. And that goes back to what I was saying about Johnny playing parts that serve the song and fit fit13 minutes, 40 seconds
with each little journey of music across an album from start to finish. And uh these guys, they they're they're right13 minutes, 49 seconds
there with it, man. They they're putting this is a super solid record and I think the talent13 minutes, 56 seconds
uh in the aggregate and individually really shows through in all these tracks.14 minutes, 1 second
Absolutely. And and what's cool about what you are and moving on to that is that I felt like Todd Strange had an opportunity to shine here.14 minutes, 10 seconds
Yeah.14 minutes, 11 seconds
Um the track kind of is built around his baseline on it. Um and you know, it felt14 minutes, 19 seconds
familiar to me. It was uh dark. It was slow. Um a fairly unrelenting track, but it captures kind of the core of who the14 minutes, 28 seconds
band is. Not as dynamic as some as the the other tracks, but again, I I I enjoyed it.14 minutes, 33 seconds
Yeah, he's got a nasty tone on this track, too. Todd does. Really fat fat, gritty, ugly bass tone, and I love it.14 minutes, 42 seconds
Black to red. We're coming up on the end, regrettably, but black to red. What do you think?14 minutes, 46 seconds
High energy sludge is what I had for notes. That's what uh I was actually listening to this yesterday14 minutes, 53 seconds
and I was painting and I high energy sludge. That was what I and the m momentum in it. It's a little bluesier,15 minutes, 1 second
I thought, than some of the other tracks, but it definitely is a it's a banger.15 minutes, 6 seconds
Yeah. One of the cool things that that these guys do,15 minutes, 10 seconds
I don't want to say a lot in this record is the feel shift. You know, they'll they'll go from a straight ahead feel to a swing feel with that blues, you know,15 minutes, 19 seconds
that blues vibe to it. And they do a great job of moving in and out of those different feels. again, not not15 minutes, 27 seconds
specifically to this track, but it's just one of those things that I remember hearing over the course of of learning this record. So, it's great. And then the album closes with In the End.15 minutes, 37 seconds
Uh, it's an exorcism, I think, um, for Kenny. Maybe maybe Kirk, maybe the whole band, I don't know, but, um, it seems15 minutes, 45 seconds
like a very personal track about sobriety, legacy. It's reflective, you know, it feels a little bit like a15 minutes, 53 seconds
resurrection song as well. Um, and the tradeoff, you know, between uh between16 minutes
Kenny and Kirk is is fantastic. And so I remember the first time I listened to the album all the way through. I was thinking to myself, god damn, you know,16 minutes, 10 seconds
Kenny and Johnny have written the soundtrack to My Life. I've told both of them that on this podcast. And they're16 minutes, 17 seconds
continuing to. And Kirk has been again for me going back to college in the '9s with Crowbar and Down and he too has16 minutes, 26 seconds
written and Todd um have written albums that have stood with me and these four continue to write for me the soundtracks16 minutes, 35 seconds
to my life and I can't thank them enough. I I really can't.16 minutes, 39 seconds
Well, I I was wondering if uh I just pulled it up. I was wondering if we were going to get lucky enough to to see some shows this year. And Kenny has said, per16 minutes, 48 seconds
the internet, and we know the internet never lies. If it's on the internet,16 minutes, 52 seconds
it's true. And Kenny has said that they are definitely going to find the time. And they are going to tour this year.16 minutes, 57 seconds
It's in the works, but it's tough because, you know, I mean, Johnny alone is in like eight different bands. He's the busiest drummer out out there right17 minutes, 5 seconds
now. So hopefully we're going to get uh get some stuff. I really would like to see these guys on a stage, all four of them up there just crushing it because17 minutes, 14 seconds
it's I think this is a great album. I look forward to what they continue to uh release as the as the months and years go on. I hope they continue to do so.17 minutes, 22 seconds
Yeah. I mean, From Birth to Death is got '90s Seattle in its soul, but it's kind of if you were to drag it through a Nola17 minutes, 31 seconds
swamp and I I think that that's a fair way Yeah.17 minutes, 36 seconds
of assessing it. And I also think that somewhere in the Nether, Pete is probably given a tip of the cap. And I'm sure Chris Cornell would also be like,17 minutes, 45 seconds
"Right on." And there's something to be said for that to be able to take the sounds of the past and weave them together to make it something for today.17 minutes, 55 seconds
And so, props to them. And I hope that uh a lot of other fans of the typo negatives and the crowbars and the downs18 minutes, 2 seconds
are able to uh come into this with an open mind and really listen to it.18 minutes, 7 seconds
you're gonna love it. It's an easy album to listen to, which is a good thing.18 minutes, 11 seconds
There there's nothing derogatory in that statement. Uh some albums you just if you're not paying attention, you are going to miss a lot of [ __ ] There is a18 minutes, 20 seconds
lot of [ __ ] that can be missed in this if you're not paying attention, but it's one of those nice albums that you can just let sort of wash over you if that is the vibe you're in. It's a great18 minutes, 29 seconds
record, a great outing. I'm super happy for the guys. As you said, we've, you know, talked with Kenny and Johnny, uh,18 minutes, 36 seconds
you know, a number of times. They're great dudes. Um, I'd like to get, uh, Kirk and Todd on on with them.18 minutes, 41 seconds
Hopefully, we can get the whole gang in for a chat and and, uh, tell them what was tell us what was in their heads when they, uh, started putting all this stuff18 minutes, 50 seconds
together a couple of years ago. Yeah, I know that when they went to the studio,18 minutes, 53 seconds
they seemed pretty amped with the chemistry between the four of them and it it definitely shows and it seems like they were all able to breathe and put19 minutes, 1 second
their own creativity into it and the output is um as solid as can be.19 minutes, 7 seconds
Well, I think think they were smart in that they didn't rush anything. You know, they've been working on this material for a long time. I mean, we19 minutes, 15 seconds
know going back to 2023 when uh Cryptonmania uh Cryptonnisia came out. So, they gave it the time that19 minutes, 22 seconds
they wanted to give it that they felt it deserved. And you know, there's sometimes you can hear it, you listen to a record, you go like, "Shit, you can tell this thing got ripped out in the19 minutes, 31 seconds
course of two or three nights." So, and this ain't it.19 minutes, 34 seconds
Cryptomania. I I for some reason I feel like kleptomania is in your brain because you play Grand Theft Auto way too much. I probably do. Yeah.19 minutes, 42 seconds
Yeah. So it's like in the back of your head you're stealing hookers and you know stealing cars and stealing stealing hookers and sleeping19 minutes, 51 seconds
with cars or the other way around whichever whatever whatever you want to do. You could sleep with a car if you want. But on that note if we're starting to talk19 minutes, 59 seconds
about Grand Theft Auto but great record listen to it. You will be glad you did.20 minutes, 6 seconds
Yep. Out uh released 41 of 2026 on Corpse Paint Records. They've got cool stuff happening. pay attention to that20 minutes, 13 seconds
label, too. So, great album. Happy to talk about it and I will talk to you on the next one. Sounds good.20 minutes, 20 seconds
All right. See you, man.
