(written by Islander)
Band name: Dreaming Death. Record title: Sinister Minister. That lovely queasy-green cover art festooned with tentacles and claws. That should be enough to lure you into the music on the debut EP we’re streaming in this post. If it isn’t, you’ll soon see a photo of the band ready and eager to beat you to death with a shovel. That ought to seal the deal.
But just in case, we’ll add that Dreaming Death‘s lineup incudes Pahl Hodgson (guitars, vocals) and Ross Duncan (bass, vocals), known for their work with Beyond Mortal Dreams and Oath Of Damnation, plus drummer Matt “Skitz” Sanders, and further add that their EP lured Lavadome Productions into releasing it this coming Friday — the label’s only release in 2024.
You need any more reasons to listen? Nah, you probably don’t, but providing reasons is the reason for my existence, so you’re going to get some more whether you need it or not.
Some guesses about Dreaming Death‘s music could be ventured based in where they got their inspiration, i.e., from classics of ’80s and ’90s death metal and thrash in the vein of Morgoth, Death, Possessed, early Vader, and Pestilence. On this EP they’ve channeled those inspirations into five songs that are gnashing and slashing marauders, and grisly crawlers, from beyond the boundaries of reason and reality.
In more prosaic terms, Dreaming Death tend to go fast, serving up frantic and feverishly swarming riffage, ugly in its sound, and vividly battering drumwork, fronted by the lycanthropic barks of some beast that can’t wait to sink its fangs in your throat (well, not so prosaic after all).
They also throw into these ravenous races ghastly howls, sometimes doubled for extra hideousness, and spectacularly deranged, sharp-toned, and whammy-loving guitar solos that spiral, spasm, swoop, and dive (also sometimes doubled for extra spectacularity), as well as bursts of ecstatically darting fretwork.
But Dreaming Death are equally interested and equally adept in putting the frighteners on their listeners in other ways as well, slowing the pace to create dismal visions of lurching monstrosities or of fattened maggots worming their way through oozing flesh. And so the music doesn’t just come off like a slaughtering demonic rampage, but also like the staggering stomp of golems or the grisliness of a mass grave freshly unearthed.
But wait, there’s more! We said earlier that the music sounds like something from beyond the bounds of reason and reality. Part of the explanation is that Dreaming Death also occasionally bring in eerily shimmering and quivering keys that create sensations of gothic horror and otherworldly menace.
Those chilling sonic radiations both contrast with and complement the churning foulness of the riffing and the exhilarating pop and pound of the drums, and they line up well with the gleaming brilliance of the demented but electrifying guitar solos, which (to underline the point) stand out like flares and fireworks.
That also brings up another point, which is the way the songs are produced: There’s ugliness where there needs to be ugliness, clarity where that serves well, and an evenness and separation in the mix which allows all the performances to stand out.
And finally (yes, I’m almost done with my reasons!), you’ll discover that Dreaming Death‘s songwriting brings into play almost all of the phases and shades of music identified above within each song, creating an impressive dynamism of tempo, instrumentation, and mood.
It really is an exceptionally good EP that deserves a wide audience — and here it is!
Sinister Minister will be released by Lavadome Productions on December 20th, in digital and CD formats. The CD version comes with an 8-sided 170gsm booklet. You can order them at these locations:
PRE-ORDER:
https://lavadome.bandcamp.com/album/sinister-minister
https://store.lavadome.org/
DREAMING DEATH:
https://www.facebook.com/DreamingDeathAU/