Review Summary: A masterpiece of an instrumental album of all things progressive rock and jazz fusion. Don't miss out this epic! Especially if you're a Mastodon Crack the Skye album fan
Donner & The Devil is a relatively new name in the space of progressive rock music, it is run by one person – the mastermind behind this epic soundscape is Dan Walsh. For Laid to Waste he recruits Ivan Korniienko and Daniel J Gallardo to accompany with drums, but the writing and performing is mostly done by Dan alone.
Laid to Waste crowns the series of singles released earlier in 2024, and it absolutely delivers after all the high hopes and anticipation after the previous releases.
Going from general to particular – as a whole, this album is just massive and mostly impressive, to say the least.
To summarize – it is a bouquet of melodic patterns and a deep exploration of change. While being totally disconnected from the modern scene it grips onto the rich heritage of classic music and the pantheon of psychedelic heroes. The ongoing vibe here is the continuation of seemingly disconnected yet very musical phrases based upon the primordial urge to embrace passions and chaos presented by the drums.
The first two tracks prepare the listener for what is yet to come with its thick atmosphere and highly static sound. The guitar tone might bring up the later works of Earth and Dylan Carlson specifically, and the overall sound design is very peculiar: you don’t hear a lot of original mixes in the genre, let’s be honest. Laid to Waste is reminiscent of Giant Squid, not in terms of the sound, but the approach of creating a sonic entity.
Fiddlesticks is a banger, a KO that slaps on some King Crimson and Hawkwind rock and roll soloing. Stagger and Odious Filth then emphasizes admiring more, the seas of keys, the present moment that captures the wilderness of the sound, its sheer grandeur, and the avalanche of the unstoppable development.
At Odds stands for the classic acoustic prog number, setting the stage for the two closing epics.
Donner & The Devil is an unmatched act in the modern prog roster – and music. Do yourself a favor, don’t miss this masterpiece.
