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Review Summary: Dredg breeds drudgery with new album Don’t let the name fool you. Dredg is no grungy, dark, hard-hitting heavy metal band. The new album adamantly makes that point over and over again (twelve times, to be exact). “Catch without Arms,” is the band’s third studio album, following previous Interscope releases “Leitmotif” (2001) and “El Cielo” (2003). And for this band, the third time is most definitely not the charm.
Dredg consists of four members: Gavin Hayes (vocals), Mark Engles (guitar), Drew Roulette (bass), and Dino Campanella (drums, piano). The California-based group has only fairly recently managed to break free from the underground music scene and begin to achieve widespread mainstream airplay and popularity with the release of the new record’s first single “Bug Eyes,” a track also featured on the soundtrack for the recent movie release “Stealth.”
Not very many bands can manage to stick around for almost ten years, release three major studio albums, and still remain largely unknown, as Dredg has accomplished. But in this case, there’s a reason for that. The instrumentals are fairly decent. Beachy slide guitar chords halfway lead the listener to feel as if he/she is driving along the California coast, convertible top down, wind blowing through hair. Then the vocals enter in ... strained and whiny, almost out of place, relying heavily on an echo effect. Not to discount Hayes’ abilities, but his voice gives one the impression that he belongs in a heavier, more hardcore rock genre.
Mysterious, semi-obscure yet emotional lyrics seem to have a deeper meaning that is just out of reach for the listener.
On “Zebraskin,” the music turns into a lounge-y soft jazz that sounds like it might be better suited for elevator speakers. Title track “Catch without Arms” is (rather ironically) about staying true to one’s feelings and not compromising musical style just to please an audience. However, this proves not to be the best credo for this particular band. “Catch without Arms,” although a disappointment, is not a total and complete failure.
Bright spots on the album include tracks “The Tanbark is Hot Lava” and “Sang Real.”
Dredg goes back to its earlier, more experimental stages with “Sang Real,” a beautiful, catchy four and a half minute-long tune with a drum sample and piano melody interlaced throughout. “Tanbark” is a faster, more energetic, almost primal-sounding song with a screaming background vocal interlude that leads one to further realize that perhaps Dredg would have been better off playing heavy metal after all. But ultimately, this music is not for rocking out to, it’s for relaxing to.
The end result: an altogether unimpressive, largely unmoving, mediocre attempt at groundbreaking alt-rock that misses its mark by a long shot. This album hardly scratches the surface of a band that has the capability to do so much better musically.
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Album Rating: 4.5
dredg are an amazing band and this album although not as artsy as el cielo, its definitely a great album. i dont see how this is unimpressive and unmoving.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Yes please listen to chan, two sentences doesn't equal a paragraph. Overall, your review was pretty sparse, and besides calling it "unimpressive" and "largely unmoving", you failed at supporting your negative opinion of a well-liked album.
I really like this album, not as good as El Cielo, but far from a two.
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This is...pretty bad.
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[quote=review]Mysterious, semi-obscure yet emotional lyrics seem to have a deeper meaning that is just out of reach for the listener.[/quote]
Is not a paragraph.
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This review is average. I think dredg is so overrated.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
If you're going to take an unpopular opinion to an album, you need to support your reasoning with more logical points. It seems like you discount the band just for not being heavy.
Oh and the lyrics are brilliant.
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Why is it only negative reviews of popular albums get negged? If this review had praised the album with the same level of writing skill, I don't think it would have 3 negs by now.
It's not particularly good, but it isn't that bad either.
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Sep's right. It doesn't back up its points well, but for the most part it's better than a lot of reviews. The review makes the album sound like a 2.5, even if the points brought up are awfully derivative and makes the reviewer seem like he/she was expecting something completely different than she originally thought.
On second thought..
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Because if you're going to take an unpopular opinion to an album, then it better be a damn good review because you need to be able to convince someone who has an opposite opinion that your reasons are valid. This review did not do that, in my opinion.
Your writing is good, you just really need to flesh out your ideas and analyze more of the music rather than making such broad and general statements. Those can be the base points to your criticism, but you need to go in and cite specific parts where the album showcases that flaw.
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Yeah this review is okay except for the fact it's one giant sentence fragment.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
i love the lyrics on parts of this album
I'm the addict on the corner
I'm the lawyer in the tower
I'm a local but a foreigner
Still the addict yet I'm sober
Still the body with the coroner
Many friends yet still a loner
You're the pillow, the cool side
The sand during high tide
The cocktail, poolside
The water when clouds collide
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Ahhh I hate you. I had just gotten this album, I come home, and I see this. However, after a few listens, I'm going to have to say this album rules pretty hard.
EDIT: Has anyone at all mistaken the name dredg to sound grungey?This Message Edited On 03.18.07
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No. I first heard about the band from my friend, and since she's a major alt & indie fan (Broken Social Scene, The Cranberries, Rilo Kiley, etc.), I figured she definitely wouldn't be listening to grunge band.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Wow. Never expected to garner so much (negative) attention with one little album review. However, in going against the popular, I suppose one has to expect it. But after thinking about it for awhile today, I realized that my critics are right. I probably did form some preconceived notions based only upon the band's name, and didn't give them a fair listen. That considered, I would have to say the album is definitely above-par, musically speaking. That considered, though, I will not bow to the masses and change my opinion or rating of it.
Sorry! :-(
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
From what you have, your review is decent, but you need far more info, details and everything to finish the review. If you'd add an extra few paragraphs between the 5th paragraph and the last, it would be a pretty good review, me thinks.
I'm not voting.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
This is my favorite dredg album. this isn't my favorite dredg review.
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Because if you're going to take an unpopular opinion to an album, then it better be a damn good review because you need to be able to convince someone who has an opposite opinion that your reasons are valid.
Usually a review has to be really, really bad to warrant a negative vote. I don't think that should change just because the reviewer takes an unpopular stance. That doesn't make the writing worse or better...
EDIT: Has anyone at all mistaken the name dredg to sound grungey?
Well I expected something completely different because a metalhead told me they were his favorite band.This Message Edited On 03.19.07
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
This album isn't as good as there other work, but its also better then a 2.5. The lyrics are pretty awful on some songs, and a few songs don't deserve to be on here, however its still a decent album.
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