Album type: Full length
Date Released: March 2012
Label: Small Stone
Track list:
1. Secret Revival
2. Black Bird
3. Vultures
4. Ode To Inversion Layer
5. Lightening Ritual
6. Old Honey
Review:
“The Dwellers? Aren’t they some kind of pop-punk band?” I
asked The Sludgelord. “Wash yer lugs out Furious” was his swift reply.
I didn’t bother to take his advice – I didn’t need to, cause
after the first run-through of ‘Good Morning Harakiri’, it was quite clear this
was about as far removed from a similarly named pop-punk group as you get, and
whatever was clogging my ear-holes up was swiftly removed.
Comprising of Joey Toscano (from Iota) on vocals and guitar,
Zach Hatsis on drums and Dave Jones on bass (don’t think it’s the same Dave
Jones who manages Sheffield Wednesday, but I may be wrong), Dwellers play a
fine blend of blues, sludge and southern rock, or as they call it – Gut Rock.
Have you ever seen the film From Dusk Till Dawn? Remember
how well suited the band is that’s playing in the Titty Twister? Well imagine
happening upon a bar in the middle of Redneck country. There’s a band up on
stage playing there. That band would be Dwellers. Imagine for a moment that
someone dared remake the old Burt Reynolds classic Deliverance. Dwellers would
be the boys to call for the soundtrack.
I’ll be honest with you though – on the first listen I
wasn’t quite feeling this album.
It took two or three listens to get right into it. Of course
some of the tracks were more immediate than others, Black Bird being the most
immediate for me, with its bluesy stomp and killer drum fills.
There’s certainly plenty of depth on this album. There’s
only one track (Lightening Ritual) under the 5-minute mark and Vultures clocks
in at an impressive 10 minutes of twists and turns, ups and downs, tasty guitar
solos, rock-solid bass lines and (once again) killer drum fills.
If you persevere with this album you’ll be rewarded with
some real, meaty, sludgy riffs, open-tuned, slide guitar, a touch of
psychedelia, pile-driving drums and gallons of moonshine-soaked vocals.
There’s only six tracks on this album so there’ll be a real
fight on to pick a favourite (Old Honey at the moment if you must know).
Do yourself a favour and check out Dwellers. If you’re a fan
of ZZ-Top, Grady and riffs coated in fuzz, you’ll sure find Dwellers swell.
