Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The wide-spanning new Dwarves release, Concept Album, is a twenty-track effort concocted by longtime Dwarves mastermind Blag Dahlia. He’s not going at this alone, however, as he’s joined by luminous guest stars such as current Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese and onetime Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age bassist and multi-instrumentalist Nick Oliveri. Such talented cohorts cannot help but contribute enormously to an album that surely ranks as among the most audacious of an already genre-defying career. The stylistic range explored by these musicians is astounding. Concept Album literally goes everywhere as the album’s twenty tracks delve into garage, surf, metal, rock, pop, thrash, and experimental noise.
“Blast On” opens the release with a brief salvo of experimental noise accompanied by Dahlia’s shouting out various numbers with near maniacal glee. It’s a mock countdown, of course, given the song’s title, but discerning listeners will hear a real method in his madness. The album’s first full song “Feeling Great” is romping pop rock with a punk spirit filling its lyrics. The song construction is as tight as a drum with no wasted notes. Dahlia’s confident vocals are the crowning touch, of course, but Freese and Oliveri are behind him every step of the way.
“I’m just a terrorist for your love…” provides the crucial line for the album’s third track “Terrorist”. It’s an all-out punk rock assault with the Dwarves’ characteristic dark wit burning through each line. Josh Freese’s contributions are one of the pivotal strengths of this collection and his muscular drumming for this track helps push it even harder than a lesser drummer would. The twisty “Do It All the Time” has a varied vocal approach and an idiosyncratic edge that any longtime listener will appreciate.
The unforgiving metal roar of “Kill or Be Killed” nearly separates the listener’s head from their shoulders and you’ll be grateful that it does. Dahlia’s engaging vocal that holds nothing back caps the furious guitar/bass/drums assault. The old-school rock vibe crossed with punk rock inclinations that drive “Parasite” is another highlight among many. Tossing some light keyboards into the mix further accentuates the aforementioned vibe. Dahlia’s tightly wound lyrics are full of humor and yet depict a rough and ready world populated with leeches of various types.
BANDCAMP: https://thedwarves.bandcamp.com/album/concept-album
“Come Unglued” does just that. The pounding thrash of this tune is one of the most vicious moments on an album with several and the Dwarves waste no time hammering the listener into oblivion. “Lean” rates as one of the most audacious moments on the release as the Dwarves couple near sludge metal with guttural vocals alongside wildly experimental noise and accelerated past the point of no return passages that sound positively demented.
“Stabbed My Dad” is classic punk, Dwarves style, and rages through 48 seconds of unfettered insanity. The finale “All For You”, by far the longest song at a little over three minutes, mixes straight-ahead punk with metal riffing and descends into guttural menace near the song’s conclusion. The Dwarves’ Concept Album comes at the listener full throttle every song and leaves a mark.
Martha Hornsby
