Dreadnought - Lifewoven - review
Dreadnought - Lifewoven - review
Tracklist
01. Nascence02. Lift
03. Deluge
04. Utopia
05. Immolate
06. Renaissance
A review by
Auntie Sahar September 25, 2013
The core sound of the innovative foursome that is Dreadnought lies in the progressive metal area, but not in the sense of Dream Theater-esque prog, or some type of djent-y Meshuggah ripoff with a bunch of overdone syncopation. Lifewoven is, more than anything, an homage to the classic prog acts of the 70s, especially Yes and King Crimson. Much like their progressive forefathers, Dreadnought weave a delicate compositional technique that has enough twists and turns to keep things creative and intriguing, but that isn't too overtly technical to digest. Whether it's the beautiful vocal melodies on "Nascence" and "Renaissance," the unorthodox instrumentation (including sax, mandolin, trumpet, and flute) on tracks like "Immolate" and "Utopia" or even the fat, audible bass tone throughout, with Lifewoven Dreadnought make it quite clear that they know how to craft music that is vastly multi-layered, but doesn't feel bloated.
In addition to the progressive core of the band's sound, Dreadnought also make use of a few simple, yet effective black metal elements, which at some points enhance the music, like in the middle of "Nascence," and at other points come to dominate it, like on "Deluge." While these extra flavors may not be abundant enough to regard Lifewoven as a full fledged progressive black metal album, Dreadnought manage to weave them in at just the right points in the composition, so that they give the songwriting that extra push it needs to create a more multi-faceted experience for the listener. With as wide an array of instrumentation and compositional techniques as Dreadnought make use of, one would think it would almost be counterproductive for the band to not bring them all out equally as crisply, and Lifewoven indeed does makes use of a very "round," all-inclusive production sound that helps to bring everything out and leaves no part of the music overshadowed.
Hearing Lifewoven reminds me a lot of the first time I listened to Negură Bunget, because it's very much the same type of listening experience. That is, there's a lot going on with the instrumentation, with a ton of non-metal instruments that help to create a mesmerizing, almost transcendental mood. To some listeners this may come across as unnecessary and pretentious, but fans of more progressive or otherwise off-the-wall forms of music will enjoy it for what it is: a highly intelligent album from a group of musicians trying to give us something that we haven't heard before. Lifewoven is easily one of the most well-composed albums I've heard all year, and for a debut it' sets some pretty high standards for Dreadnought to follow up on. If you enjoy strange metal that challenges convention and makes you reevaluate the way the genre can be delivered, then you know what to do. Hop to it, bitch!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | September 25, 2013
Comments page 2 / 2
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 Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989 Written by angel. on 01.10.2013 at 18:51 You can always add your own review to an album that already has one, but I'd suggest you don't unless your review points out something about the album that the other(s) didn't. Otherwise you're apt to just get a bunch of people flying down on you about how your review isn't necessary, is redundant, blah blah blah. Also, there's nothing wrong with fangirling but just keep it in check. Good reviewers should always try to maintain a sense of objectivity, even with bands they're fanatics about. 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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 Posts: 3532 |
Posts: 3532
Wow I so thought in looking into this.. Until I read the words ''especially Yes and King Crimson'' ... yep lost me right there.
---- - Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff - Guib's List Of Essential Albums - Also Thrash Paradise Thrash Here
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Posts: 6101 Written by Guib on 10.10.2013 at 01:13 You should really at least check it out anyway. If you liked what you read up until the band comparisons, then you should still check it out; you might like it.
---- ~Zep, Former Database and Forum Moderation~ 
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 Posts: 8004 |
Posts: 8004
This would be so good without the vocals. Or with a different vocalist. I really enjoy the music but those screeches make me cringe.
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 Posts: 21306 |
Posts: 21306
Not sure if you were aware of this or not, but apparently somebody liked that first sentence enough to post it on their site as a review (and also was surprisingly nice enough to credit Metal Storm): http://www.getbitradio.com/dreadnought-lifewoven-2013/
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989 Written by Troy Killjoy on 23.01.2014 at 15:39 Pretty cool dude! Yeah, I've seen artists and label sites link to my stuff before. My review of the new Hail Spirit Noir was the first they put up on their Facebook, and after Birgit directed him to me Blake Judd thanked me personally for my Hate Meditation review.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Posts: 21306 |
Posts: 21306
Celebrity status achieved.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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 Posts: 1689 |
Posts: 1689
Revisited this album today... Damn it's good!
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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, you saved MS from a fangirling review by that - 1
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