Dreadnought - Bridging Realms review
| Band: | Dreadnought |
| Album: | Bridging Realms |
| Style: | Avantgarde metal, Black metal, Progressive metal |
| Release date: | August 11, 2015 |
| A review by: | Auntie Sahar |
01. Ode To Ether
02. Odyssey
03. Minuet De Lune
04. Transpiration
05. Bridging Realms
In 2013, I reviewed Dreadnought's Lifewoven debut and compared it to a massive sandwich with an overwhelming number of ingredients. Keeping the metaphorical train a-rolling, one could then say that this year's follow up, Bridging Realms, is more of a fine glass of wine: not quite as heavy, but still flavorful, and more smooth and relaxing.
On the whole, Dreadnought appear to have softened up their sound with their sophomore effort. The metal aspect of the band's music has been hushed considerably, with the more melodic periods of progressive instrumentation thus seeing a much greater role. Fans of old school prog rock and jazz fusion will no doubt find themselves right at home here, as a tasty array of nonmetal instruments including piano, sax, mandolin, and flute help to create a highly atmospheric and mesmerizing sound. These instruments were present on Dreadnought's debut too, of course, but here their role feels a lot more pronounced and in the forefront. "Minuet De Lune" is as good an example as any, with an excellent combination of piano, flute, and the beautiful vocals of Lauren Vieira helping to guide the track forward.
However, the metal side of Dreadnought's musical identity being diminished doesn't mean that it's been eliminated entirely, and Bridging Realms still sees the band flirting around with some heavier elements here and there. Sometimes they seem to flow into the dominantly progressive sound perfectly (see "Odyssey," my personal favorite on here). But for the most part this shift to a more metal-based sound can feel a bit unnecessary, like a sudden burst into harsher territory that rips listeners out of the band's more quiet and serene sound rather abruptly (mostly on the title track). As Dreadnought proved with their debut, going from a predominantly heavy sound into softer territory is an easy task for them, but on Bridging Realms the opposite appears to be a bit more of a challenge, and a technique that will probably need some refinement in the future.
All in all, Dreadnought's decision to take an deeper exploration into the tranquil, atmospheric side of their music on Bridging Realms is a major success. While I'd probably enjoy this album a lot more without the metal, the new way in which the metal is being combined with the progressive elements here is certainly still interesting, and testament to the fact that this band isn't afraid to sail upon uncharted waters and tweak up their delivery as they see fit. And that's always a good thing in my book. A highly recommended, albeit quirky addition to any prog fan's collection.
Comments
| flightoficarus Stamp Tramp Posts: 1116  |
Bout time
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by flightoficarus on 26.06.2015 at 00:42 What do you mean "bout time" lol, the release date for this is still over a month away 
---- 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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| Netzach Planewalker Posts: 1761  |
Seriously? I just managed to forget about this album and here you come reminding me that August is still damn far away. Loved the preview tracks, especially Odyssey. No doubt this will be killer.
---- My "blackened synth metal" solo project: maladomini.bandcamp.com. Whenever I write something funny, weird, or pretentious... I learned English by playing Baldur's Gate, okay?
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| Karlabos Posts: 5736  |
Yeah, go on and make reviews to get us dying of curiosity, waiting eagerly for the release date while you exhibit your stupid staff advantages =]
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Karlabos on 26.06.2015 at 01:14 The jelly is strong with this one 
---- 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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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
I see "progressive" coming up a lot on this review and that pleases me  The two songs they released so far are already sounding great and after reading the review, I couldn't be more excited to hear the whole thing. I remember liking their debut even though that seems a long time ago. It's on my "to listen" list.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by BloodTears on 26.06.2015 at 13:04 Yep, it is very prog rock-ish, which is good on my end. I have this strange relationship with progressive music where I don't really like much prog metal, but I love the sound of the older prog bands, i.e. 70s era. So metal bands who tap heavily into that influence (these guys, Los Random, Hail Spirit Noir, etc.) have been making me pretty happy lately. Maybe I'm getting converted?
---- 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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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62004  |
I didn't know you like a wine
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Diverge Posts: 1334 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 26.06.2015 at 14:02 I've never understood this point you keep trying to make. Maybe it's that I don't see those bands as explicitly evoking 70s era prog.
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| Karlabos Posts: 5736 |
Written by Diverge on 27.06.2015 at 06:48 How come? Nothing is more 70s prog than hammond organs
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Diverge on 27.06.2015 at 06:48 Do you listen to much of it? I personally hear a good bit of Hawkwind in HSN (more on the debut though), and a lot of Jethro Tull and King Crimson influence between Dreadnought and Los Random
---- 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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| Diverge Posts: 1334 |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Diverge on 27.06.2015 at 16:04 Why would it be? It was a genuine question. I don't think I've really talked to you that often on here, so I'm not as familiar with your tastes as I am with some other peoples', but thanks for clarifying. I'm listening to Pidanoma right now, and I guess you bring up a valid point with Los Random (especially in regard to The Mars Volta, whose saxophonist actually guested on one of the tracks, I believe). To be honest, I haven't listened to much Faith No More or Tool though, so I'm probably not as qualified to judge on that as you are. Aaaaand.... Argentinian prog? Wasn't aware they had a significantly developed scene in that genre. But I'm curious to investigate some of its bands now if you think they've influenced Los Random. Examples please?
---- 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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| Belegûr Arise In Might! Posts: 365  |
I liked this review. I have a question for Apothecary, is there a reason why you don't give scores? I notice you rate favourite albums on your profile, but you don't rate these reviews. Sorry if you have answered this somewhere and I haven't found it  Edit - Or I should say, why you don't rate certain albums 
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Belegûr on 30.06.2015 at 16:05 I've answered it before, but no worries man. I usually do score albums in my reviews, but I use an "N/A" score for albums that I feel are too unique to really be judged against any sort of rating system. Like, I can't really say "oh, good job, you're playing *insert genre here* very well, you get an 8!" because the album is just too atypical to be compared to some sort of standard, either for its genre or just for any sort of classification period. I've used N/As in the past with bands like The Meads Of Asphodel, Botanist, the Sunn O))) / Ulver collab, and some others. Granted, Dreadnought are definitely a lot less "out there" than those other bands I mentioned, but I still can't really think of anything else off the top of my head that really sounds like this. Maybe that just says something about the fact that I don't actively listen to a lot of prog metal, but I'd still like to think that Dreadnought are pretty unique for the genre regardless.
---- 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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| Belegûr Arise In Might! Posts: 365 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 30.06.2015 at 16:17 I thought it was maybe that. The albums you haven't rated are certainly a bit out there . Good reviews though, I think scores sometimes put people off immediately, even if you praise the album in the review itself. I don't know when it happened, but a lot of people seem to think a 7/10. Anyway, thanks for answering. 
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