Kayo Dot – Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike

Kayo Dot’s 10th LP, Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike, is one more proof that Toby Driver’s genius is, fortunately, still with us. His borderless brand of experimental and progressive metal invites 80s synth music and post-punk/gothic vibes this time in this uniquely brilliant record. Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike is a sonic voyage that reflects upon the pagan mind’s cyclic vision of the world with great charisma and emotion. For this task Toby recruited all the original members from his previous project, Maudlin of the Well, which is fantastic news for all of us who held Maudlin of the Well close to our hearts. Sound wise this album sees Kayo Dot expanding their late synth-driven brand of prog metal/rock as they incorporate some new elements from 80s post-punk and gothic rock that endow the music with a unique, reflective tone that feels very fresh yet very reminiscent of the 80s rock and dark music. Imagine Rush’s Power Windows era meeting Joy Division and then add Type O Negative’s dark vibes and Ulver’s experimental approach to the mix to get an idea of what you should expect here.

Compositionally the album is very interesting. Although at first glance it may look simple, the songwriting is actually intricate and very thoughtful (as is always the case with Kayo Dot) – getting full use out of the synth as a background atmospheric tool that sets the ambience for each song, using the rest of the instruments to develop intelligent melodies, that sometimes take their time to unfold in a very satisfying fashion. Guitars vary in their tonal approach between 80s rock guitar work and post-rock melodies, adding distortion here and there to complement the aggressiveness of some passages (the start of ‘Epipsychidion’ being the clearest example). Basslines are very ambient driven, and one of the highlights of this album for sure. They reminded me a lot of Geddy Lee’s sometimes, other times it was just pure gothic rock basslines supporting the obscure, occult-like vibes that infect the whole record.

Drumming in this record is simplistically beautiful. Among the apparently simple and accompanying post-punk/gothic rock beats there are some nice fillers and tempo switches that help a lot to make this record as special as it is. There is also room for variation and even some amazing speedy jazz action (‘The Necklace’ intro for example). In the vocals department, Toby alternates his clean and harsh vocals magnificently, giving every track on the album its own personality and character. This is a record to be listened to fully focused on the music. There are a lot of things going on and some melodies are very complex to fully appreciate on a single listen, so I would argue this is another potential grower in Toby Driver’s catalogue. As of today this album has become my first pick for AOTY, and I highly doubt that will change… – Frost15