“Egolution was a tough nut to crack. I picked up the debut from Sweden’s Black Oak based on the promo’s bold namedrops of Cult of Luna, ISIS, and Palms. When I started listening, I expected standard sludgy post-metal. I was wrong. Fifty-three minutes later, my head spinning with variants of “what the hell did I just listen to,” I panicked. Black Oak’s restless blend of post-rock and hardcore with electronic influences, prog, classical flourishes, and more left me confused.” Let go my Ego.
Dreadnought
Dreadnought – The Endless Review
“Briefly summarizing Dreadnought’s music is impossible. You could clip a 5-minute passage from anywhere on The Endless and encounter something different from any other 5-minute passage. But, in short, the key ingredients include progressive, post and black metal, and also jazz. Occasionally shimmering guitars, looped rhythms and a dense, textured approach lean into post-genres, while the overall package is delivered through rangy, expansive songs which demonstrate progressive proclivities.” Endless dread knots.
Eye of Nix – Ligeia Review
“Pinpointing the core sound Eye of Nix conjures proved difficult this last week and change. On one hand, I recognize the elements that compose the content within Ligeia—black metal, doom metal, opera, post-metal, a twist of psychedelia—but I struggle to come to a concrete solution as to what this record is.” The naming game.
Astrosaur – Obscuroscope Review
“Much like my need to take the infrequent day off from work, I occasionally require a break from the never-ending storm that is extreme metal. When I require such dalliances with lighter fare, I generally choose prog-metal or something bumping shoulders with post-whatever. Established bands like Voyager, Dreadnought or Fair to Midland are my go-to’s. Hailing from Norway, Astrosaur get their foot in the door with their sophomore full-length Obscuroscope, an instrumental post/prog/jazz album that promises to satisfy my Chillaxoproxin™ fix.” Relaxosaur.
Dreadnought – Emergence Review
“Much has been made of the impressive alignment of metal bands from Denver, and Colorado more generally, in recent years, including Khemmis, Spectral Voice and Blood Incantation, among myriad others. But Dreadnought have always stood apart from other bands not just within that scene but within metal overall given their singular blend of diverse influences, creating something vaguely resembling doom metal but which has always had wide eyes for detail and grandiosity.” Embiggened soundscapes.
Dreadnought – A Wake in Sacred Waves Review
“The music playback software I use on my phone has a useful function where it will recommence tracks of over 10 minutes from the point at which the song was paused and the software closed. This is great if I reach the 20-minute mark on Crimson or over halfway through Close to the Edge. It’s less great if the track is only narrowly longer than 10 minutes and immediately crashes into the climax while otherwise relistening to the album as a whole. Denver’s Dreadnought is particularly affected by this problem as their third record, A Wake in Sacred Seas, comprises three tracks between 10 and 12 minutes with a 17-minute fourth.” Long in the tooth is a lifestyle choice.