Dredg – Catch Without Arms

When I saw this CD, I had no idea what to think. I had only read the name in a few e-mails, and even that didn’t register for a few days. There was no bio sheet that came with the release and I had no clue what they would sound like. So when I finally got around to putting Catch Without Arms in my CD player to listen to it, I had no expectations and it’s easy enough to say that Dredg blew me away instantly.

Think Muse or …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, and you could picture Dredg easily. Although it’s only a quartet, these guys have an immense sound. Atmospheric and spacey prog-rock laced with a sense of grandeur. The vocals are distinctivelyMuse like, dragged out and solid with a soft, eerie feel to them that are able to pick up and be strong and harsher if the moment arises. Songs likeOde To The Sun, Catch Without Arms, Real Sang and the phenomenal Matroshka (The Ornament) make the listener stop in their tracks and pay attention to the songs. They captivate you and pull you into the surroundings of majestic harmonies and breathtaking melodies, all topped off with intriguing and and inventive drawings by cookieclock.

These guys also know how to put pen to paper with lyrics like “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.” or “I was looking down at you/Smiling up at me/For once I held you tight/but shadowed hands grabbed at me/Your head was in the clouds/but now the clouds are in your head/That’s when you needed me so I listened to what you said.” They are always simple and direct, but get the job done and make you think a bit and take a second look at the lyrics page.

I really don’t see me getting bored of this album anytime soon, especially of Matroshka. It is just a solid album all the way through. Slow, moving, and emotional music with a atmospheric feel. I wasn’t expecting much and was blown away, I’m sure you will be too. Any fans of Muse have to check it out.