dredg
By Thom Washburn
Sometimes, a band is just that: a band. A group of people who make music to entertain you, and it does just that, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Sometimes, however, a band can take a step above that, and make a musical experience that truly encompasses you. It truly engulfs you, taking you away from your room or school or your car, and putting you where they are, whether it be in pain, or in another place. Pink Floyd did it in the 70’s, and dredg are here to do it now.
The band is an answer to the millions of
heavy metal bands currently playing on the radio.
Instead of going the route of what is obviously a popular genre, they
have created a style of music that is as complex as it is easy to listen to.
The music, although highly emotional, has little to do with anger or rage
at all, concentrating more on the journey of emotions.
They released a CD in 1999, and quickly sold all the copies of it at
shows and through mail order. The
CD, Leitmotif, has quickly become a legend in the world of underground
music.
The CD could be called a concept CD, as
it definitely tells a story. And
yes, all of the songs on the disc blend seamlessly into one another, but to call
Leitmotif a concept CD would simply be not understanding what the band
does. The music that they create
hints at some of their influences, which range from electronic queen Bjork, to
art metal band Tool, to desert band Queens Of The Stone Age, but it only hints.
None of what dredg does is ripped off or contrived.
It is all a true representation of what four talented musicians can do to
create beautiful music.
The band, who have been under the name
dredg for three years, all met in high school. Drummer Dino Campanella begged singer Mark Engles to be in
his band, which is finished out by bassist Drew Roulette and guitar player Gavin
Hayes. The music, built on melody
rather than pop hooks, is amazingly easy to listen to, pulling you in and not
letting you go. Once you have heard
dredg, don’t be surprised if you have their songs in your head for days.
On songs such as “Movement 1: The Symbol Song”, “Yatahaze”,
“Penguins in the Desert”, and “Crosswind Minuet”, dredg travel the
course of music, from ambient guitar driven songs to all out rock.
Yet always, the sense of melody is there.