Review Summary: Grindcore meets free jazz... and it doesn't suck!
At 35 minutes in length, split between a mere two tracks, Dédale is an intricate and exhilarating beast. Composed primarily of chaotic, mathy grindcore peppered with lengthy jazz interludes, it's mosaic-like in nature. Obvious reference points include early Dillinger (in particular their canonical mathcore EP Irony Is A Dead Scene) and Rolo Tomassi at their most abrasive, but the sheer length of these two compositions separates DaCast from many of their peers.
The word jazz gets thrown around far too often in relation to progressive metal - Between The Buried And Me being a good example of this; their meticulously crafted pastiches of just about every sub genre of metal under the sun stand in stark opposition to the improvisation so central to jazz as a genre. But here on Dédale you legitimately feel these guys are free wheeling at times, playing off each other and finding their footing as they go. Just as soon as they settle into a comfortable groove they accelerate to the point of oblivion in storms of blast beats or slam the breaks on, slowing the songs down to swampy, free jazz dirges.
It makes for interesting listening but importantly you care about where the songs are going next. For instance, the finale of the 20 minute 'Face B' is well worth the innumerable tempo changes and winding diversions that lead to it. The most striking thing about Dédale is its replay value; it both demands and rewards repeat listens, very rarely feeling repetitive or grating. And for an album composed primarily of grindcore and free jazz, that is an achievement in itself.
