I’m initially swarmed with that warm feeling of being hit with the
very much loved sounds of the early 90s, when Secret Revival first takes
off. It has a feeling of darkness, although not in a bad type of
mood or idea of evil, the music’s feel, the heaviness of it, forces these
thoughts into my head. It is, to me, a perfect opener. Slow, heavy,
yet not pedestrian enough to get you bored, nor one riff repeating itself over
and over like so many songs will do. The guitar tone and simplicity of
the song is very appealing, and the voice gives it push that keeps you
interested to hear more.
Black Bird is next in line, a more upbeat song, although still
with a feeling of darkness. The music is again compelling enough to keep
me motivated, especially the guitar, and the tones used. You almost
want to say it has a doom feel to it, although certainly not in a Sabbath
way. It breakdowns nicely in the middle, stuttering slowly until it
builds to a sweet jam, where the band gets locked in a nice place, a different
vibe from the beginning. It is like the rising of the sun, where its full
glare soaks the sky with brightness and a feeling of wanting to be there, to be
inside the song, at this very moment.
Vultures is up next. The music is definitely more classic
rock sounding on this song, although it seems like the vocals is still somewhat
somber. At just over 10mins, it is, as expected a journey that the
Dwellers will be taking us on. Slow agonized singing, over loud fat
riffs, like a vulture circling overhead, just waiting for its prey to take its
one last breath. When the band hits its groove midway through the song
they lock into said groove, led by some exceptional guitar while the bass
& drums smash about with ferocious fire, encompassing the urge and
touch that one must feel being the dying prey under the eye of the vulture overhead.
Ode to Inversion Layer is somewhat similar to the first two
songs. Like a storm on its way, the clouds moving quickly over the
horizon. This is dark, and brooding, an eerily return to the early 90s
darker bands that once played the landscape. This is not bad by any
means. Lightening Ritual follows and with it comes the rain.
The shortest song on the record at just over 3 mins, it is easily the quickest
sounding song as well. One cannot help but feel the pain in the vocals
when the singer screams. I just imagine a decrepit room where the band is
playing away, while the rain pounds the roof, and the clouds mass outside, the
sky ready to show their ultimate force.
Lastly, we end with Old Honey. Another song in length, close
to 10 mins. The past two songs were just setting us up for this
number. Slowly, at a crawling like pace, it builds &
builds. Fuckin’ A, a wave of music just crashes your senses, loud
& destructive; this is no place for the weak. The band hits its
peak with this number. Everything comes together, hard, beating
your eardrums deaf, but all the while able to soak in the beauty of the music
that is being laid at your feet, at your body, to your eyes, in your
head. Heavy, yet simple riffing leading you down this path, a path
that I am sure the band intended for us to go on. To grab a feeling,
whatever feeling you can touch, whatever senses you can hear. It is a
fitting end to an absolute beast of an album.
The Dwellers do indeed deliver on their first release for SmallStone. Definitely a band that can only grow. The talent here is
obvious. Small Stone has once again snatched up a phenomenal band before
anyone else could have. Give credit to Small Stone for knowing what its
consumers like. If you’re a fan of heavy music, and SS, then you not only
should buy it, but in doing so, giving yourself one of the better records
to be heard this year.
~Will Bissonette
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