Changing band members is never an easy feat, and the Luxembourgish scene has had its fair share of new and old faces playing in different bands. However, I would argue that changing vocalists is always the riskiest move a band can make, since they tend to be the face of the band and be the most “accessible” part of the music. Today’s band has had to make just that transition a few years ago when they, amicably, parted ways with their singer…and in my humble opinion it was the best thing that could happen to them. So let’s take the Path To The Unknown together and see what Dreadnought holds in store for us on their upcoming record!
While following my usual routine before writing, which consists of re-reading my previous reviews in order to avoid repeating myself, I was shocked that it has already been seven years since their previous release and close to ten since their debut! Luckily, from the first riff you can tell that those years were not spent idly, because the increase in musicianship is very apparent and I dare you to not at least tap your fingers to the melody of the first song.
To me the quintet has definitely solidified their overall sound with these seven songs, whereas previously I would have called it blackened death metal, this time around it’s pure black metal that does, however, not shy away from melodic guitars. The drums also choose a very varied approach, thus avoiding endless monotonous blast beats, and serve as a perfect foundation for the strings.
I also have to add that the production of the instrumentals is, to me, flawless and finds the perfect mixture between being clearly audible and yet sounding raw enough to not sound artificial. This also goes for the vocals, by the way, but more on that in just a second.
The elephant, or should I say evil priest, in the room Is definitely the new singer. So let’s talk about him and why I believe he’s a better fit for Dreadnought than their previous vocalist. By now it is no secret that I am huge admirer of Boerdi’s performance, but I believe that his vocal focus was, and still is, death metal and he excels at it, hands down. However, for this band he tried a different route at first, which was a good initial idea but especially listening back to Vanitas today, it’s apparent that he felt more at home in the death metal domain.
Bob, however, feels right at home and his vocals during these thirty-three minutes range from the typical black metal screams, to a handful of well-placed growls and the occasional really haunting and atmospheric cries. Coupled with, dare I say, sing-along worthy lyrics that are not afraid of having a slightly humorful undertone at times, Sister Fornicata comes to mind, the package is well rounded.
All in all, Path To The Unknown is a definite step forward for Dreadnought and I, for my part, am super excited to see what they’ve come up with for their release on October 30th. If you want to keep up with the band and get more information about their release show, head over to their Facebook page and make sure to listen to the opening track of the record below!