Review Summary: Even outside of its novelty status, Dream Widow is an interesting stoned sludge-thrash affair
While the notion of Dave Grohl returning to metal makes one contemplate the age-old notion of a Probot sequel, Dream Widow’s self-titled album is very much its own beast. The style may be rooted in a similar foundation of amorphous sludge, but the execution is much more uniform without any extra singers to conform to. There’s a more pronounced thrash influence with the songs putting in a mix of fast tempos and grungy rhythms, playing like an alternate Corrosion of Conformity that hung on to their hardcore roots a little longer or a Mastodon that listened to more Slayer and Testament.
This extends to the musicianship; Grohl has always been a top notch player, but the eighteen years between projects along with the style adjustments may play better to his strengths as a musician. The guitar work is a whole lot stronger than it had been on Probot, putting in tighter rhythms and getting more room for wilder leads. I also appreciate the almost Devin Townsend-esque mix of raspy shouts and ethereal cleans he puts in and the drums are consistently energetic.
The songwriting also comes out solid as the fast-slow cycles offer their own high octane duality without feeling too polarized. The pacing certainly reflects its horror film soundtrack status, escalating tension over the course of the album and reaching its climax with the one-two doom slabs of “Becoming” and the closing ten-minute instrumental “Lacrimus Del Ebrius.” In the meantime, I can dig the stoner-groove on “Cold,” the driving speed with a Zakk Wylde-esque makeover on “Angel With Severed Wings” and “Come All Ye Unfaithful.”
Even outside of its metal novelty status, Dream Widow is a rather interesting affair. This sort of stoned sludge-thrash feels unique, pulling from familiar sources but repurposing them in ways that can feel unorthodox. The songwriting is also level than something like Probot, not hitting as high as that project’s best songs but certainly more consistent overall. It might’ve benefitted from a more compact length and that Probot bias makes me wish how the vocals could’ve varied more, but this is easily the most refreshed that Grohl had sounded in a good while.
