To kick this review off, I would like to stand tall and apologise like any half decent, Aussie heavy music fan would the tardiness it took for both these statements! My delay in purchasing this album on its release last year from one of my most treasured and loved Australian bands ever and therefore giving it the credit it deserves and being able to share the treasures it holds within its pure, beautiful core. I don’t honestly think I can review an album of this calibre adequately enough with you fine readers. I am truly and honestly sorry that it has taken me this long to share it with you in a few short descript words.
I as a writer know that thay I bandy words like, ‘Awesome’, ‘Amazing’, ‘Great F…ing* listen’, BLAH BLAH BLAH, but now I will use those BUZZ words as though they have valued and real meaning.
I love Dreadnaught. They are that core essence of why every and all bands, hard as it may be to stick at it, STICK AT IT! They must know they are writers of music that exude such dynamic, passionate intensity the never release a band album or song contained therein. From way back a mere twenty-one years ago in ‘96 and the release of body.blood.skin.mind we were treated to an album which was something special and that we hadn’t heard before. Yes, that was a time when metal bands were dipping their toes in experimental sounds and noisescapes. Too many to mention I’m sure you appreciate but you know what I mean. That song ‘FLOWERS’ still gets me every time.
Then by gods, we were blessed and gifted with a criminally short mini EP IDIOSYNCRASY that still stands today as one of the best slabs of music released by a heavy Australian band EVER. ‘The Gobbler’, still a staple in their set nineteen years later is 2mins 55secs of the most passionate and beautifully brutal heavy songs I have ever had the honour of hearing. With these two releases and forward, Dreadnaught has never failed to disappoint. Bias? Perhaps! But as a musician and artist, I love to be taken to a realm or place that I did not create that is born of power, honesty, drive and love for something far greater than those who play or create it but is ironical, played and created by them. Dreadnaught does that. And throughout their entire career, Dreadnaught have continuously and without fear of repercussions or judgement reinvented themselves. From goth-inspired doom to just plain old’ Australian downright dirty rock we arrived at destination last year, 2016 and 42 magnificent minutes of brand new DREADNAUGHT. It is truly annoying that this was received a year too late but let’s let the negativity slide and get stuck into Caught The Vultures Sleeping!
Presented before we are eight songs that have re-written (once again) and encapsulated the band’s career. Example, ‘Welcome to Oblivion’ would not be out of place on body.blood.skin.mind but is a clear homage to their roots, and then it just breaks into sheer grit and back to acoustic serenity.
And what this gifts us, listeners and readers, is maturity, never resting on what you have and growing continuously. That said, Dreadnaught has a formula which identifies them to us immediately. Whether it be the beauty and harmony wrapped in Richie Poate’s (and the recently departed member Damon Alcock) soul/s or the driving force of the awesome bass playing human that is Ando McDougall or behind them, Marty bashing away like his life depended on it. But for me…that front man of sheer unwavering vocal force behind the big/little incredible talent known as Greg Trull. What a voice, what a presence! On Caught the Vultures Sleeping, you can hear him just sing, spit and shout every word and lyric as there would never be another breath after it, but both were relying on and complementing the rest of the band.
I reckon I have exhausted the descriptors and buzz words to describe Caught The Vultures Sleeping and how I feel about it. The next step is for you readers to make a choice to obtain this creation of exceptional heavy rock.
