Anyone who’s listened to
dredg’s recent albums would find it hard to believe that they were once a fledging nu-metal act caught up amongst the influx of similar bands in the 90’s. This is their first release, a 4-track E.P known as
Conscious that has a decidedly bass-heavy tone more akin to
System of a Down or
Korn than the band’s current incarnation.
Just listen to the title track, with it’s crunchy chords, funky bass, and rapped/screamed vocals; you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a b-side off of
System of a Down’s debut, 3 years before that album was released. This stlye continues through the whole of the E.P; the opening track,
Juggernaut, being a personal highlight with its breakdowns and small ambient sections infused with the traditional ‘nu-metal’ sound; and for the most part the band plays this style pretty well. Vocalist Gavin Hayes shows off some impressive screams and decent attempts at rapping, while the rest of the band provide a great angst-filled backdrop of distorted, detuned riffs and hyperactive drumming.
While the musicianship is of a high level however, the lyrics I’m afraid to say are terrible. The album is chock full of bad rhyming, repetitive choruses, and clichéd pissed off lyrics. Just check out this gem from
Nuhgm:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Swarming you and entrapped like pocus
Battery max only links like psychosis
bringing you only green atrocious
or the repetitive chorus from the title track:
Conscious. Serious lies.
Conscious. Serious lies.
Conscious. Serious lies.
Conscious. Serious lies.
As you can see,
dredg weren’t exactly the best lyricists at this early stage of their career, and with lines such as “my gain is your loss, your loss is my gain” it shows big-time.
Obviously, being their first release,
Conscious was never going to show
dredg at their best. The raw alternative metal sound will be a bit of a shock to those used to their current ‘radio-friendly’ incarnation; and while it doesn’t compare to the band’s future releases it certainly isn’t a flaw in their discography either.
Conscious kicks off
dredg’s career with a bang, and shows the music world that nu-metal could’ve and should’ve been pretty damn awesome.
