Friday 10 June 2016

Dream Death - "Dissemination" (Album Review)

By: Steve Wilson

 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 04/03/2016
Label: Rise Above Records

 
 
If you are into thrash and death bands in general and are looking for a band to bridge the gap between Slayer and Celtic Frost and today's crop of doomy, mid-paced bands, Dream Death would be an ideal starting point.  “Dissemination” strikes the perfect balance between fast extreme metal and crushing doom, without overdoing either style to the point of boredom. The album is not overly long but long enough to satisfy without becoming tiresome. Great production and mastering round off the package and make this album a must have for fans of thrashy sludge doom.
 
 
“Dissemination” CD//LP Track listing:
 
1. Dissemination
2. Expendable Blood Flow
3. Crawling
4. The Cold Hard Light
5. All In Vain
6. Dominion
7. The Other Side
8. Nothing Ever Will
9 Neutral Ground
10. In Perpetuum
 
The Review:
 
Pittsburgh, PA based sludge doomsters Dream Death are made up of members of the legendary '90's doom band Penance. This latest album sees the band signing to Rise Above Records and also marks the return of the classic “The Road Less Travelled” Penance line up.
 
Despite being Penance in all but name, “Dissemination” is definitely a Dream Death record. It has a much more sludgy, almost hardcore feel to it than the band's Penance material. The best way to describe their sound is a stripped-down version of Slayer with much less lead guitar. The band prefers to rely on brutal riffs and the odd, subtle lead line rather than shredding solos, which suits the music perfectly. Frontman Brian Lawrence's vocals sound like Tom Araya, almost more than Slayer do these days in places, especially the few spoken word parts, which work well and accentuate the album's sinister lyrical themes of societal collapse and madness.
 
“Dissemination” is the band's third full-length album and sounds a lot tighter than their previous efforts. Drummer Mike Smail is on top form. He alternates between slow doom and double-time blasts without overdoing the fills, always leaving room for the guitars and vocals. His double-pedalling style gives the band a metallic sound and keeps things interesting even though the tracks are quite similar in tone.
 
The songs are more concise and less experimental on this album than their previous effort (2013's “Somnium Excessum”). One theme that has remained is the dark lyrics, dealing with the inner thoughts of a serial killer at large ('The Cold Hard Light') as well as exploring literary influences .According to the band's statement on the Rise Above Records website, 'Nothing Ever Will' is based on Russian novelist and naval engineer Yegeny Zamyatin’s dystopian 1924 novel, “We”. The theme of existential dread, paranoia and anxiety are covered too, something of a constant for this band, and something else they have in common with Slayer.
 
While I would call this a sludge doom album, there are some thrashy moments, such as sixth track 'Dominion' which is pure Slayer from start to finish, from the riffs to the stop-start Dave Lombardo-esque drums.
 
If you are into thrash and death bands in general and are looking for a band to bridge the gap between Slayer and Celtic Frost and today's crop of doomy, mid-paced bands, Dream Death would be an ideal starting point.
 
“Dissemination” strikes the perfect balance between fast extreme metal and crushing doom, without overdoing either style to the point of boredom. The album is not overly long but long enough to satisfy without becoming tiresome. Great production and mastering round off the package and make this album a must have for fans of thrashy sludge doom.  
 
Dissemination” is available here
 
Band info: facebook