Dirge And Shall the Sky Descend
Equilibre Music EM014 May 31, 2007
By Wayward_Son
This is a re-issue of the French band Dirges third full-length album. Was it hard to find in the first place? This writer is unaware as And Shall the Sky Descend is the initial encounter with this atmospheric sludge/post core band. And if you, Faithful Reader, did not pick up, from that description, what type of music Dirge play, this will make it easy: If you like bands such as Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna, Pelican, or Jesu, then Dirge might offer something of worth.
Neurosis, Pelican, and Jesu are bands close to this writers heart. Isis a bit less so, and Cult of Luna are downright dreadful. So Dirge was always going to have their work cut out for them. After spinning And Shall the Sky Descend numerous times in different settings, it is safe to say that Dirge is certainly better than Cult of Luna, but do not come close to Isis and are still eons away from reaching the throne of Neurosis.
This writer apologizes for the comparative review, but it seems the most effective way of conveying the level of power that Dirge is able to muster. There are a total of four songs found on And Shall the Sky Descend, with the shortest being around twelve minutes and the longest reaching a gargantuan twenty-four minutes. The opening title track has its moments with tribal-like pounding rhythms, slow, pulsating guitars, and horror filled vocals. That is all well and good, but Dirge tends to meander far too much here. The twenty four minutes could have easily been cut down about ten minutes without sacrificing any of their message. It is with 'Endless' that Dirge reaches the albums pinnacle. It is a truly powerful song that brings to mind Neurosis classic Times of Grace. This is certainly the direction of the band needs to go to distinguish themselves.
In the end, And Shall the Sky Descend is good, but could have been better. It seems the band might be trying too hard to a band they are not instead of letting their individual talents shine through. Here is to the future.
Official Dirge Website
Official Equilibre Music Website
Equilibre Music EM014 May 31, 2007
By Wayward_Son
This is a re-issue of the French band Dirges third full-length album. Was it hard to find in the first place? This writer is unaware as And Shall the Sky Descend is the initial encounter with this atmospheric sludge/post core band. And if you, Faithful Reader, did not pick up, from that description, what type of music Dirge play, this will make it easy: If you like bands such as Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna, Pelican, or Jesu, then Dirge might offer something of worth.
Neurosis, Pelican, and Jesu are bands close to this writers heart. Isis a bit less so, and Cult of Luna are downright dreadful. So Dirge was always going to have their work cut out for them. After spinning And Shall the Sky Descend numerous times in different settings, it is safe to say that Dirge is certainly better than Cult of Luna, but do not come close to Isis and are still eons away from reaching the throne of Neurosis.
This writer apologizes for the comparative review, but it seems the most effective way of conveying the level of power that Dirge is able to muster. There are a total of four songs found on And Shall the Sky Descend, with the shortest being around twelve minutes and the longest reaching a gargantuan twenty-four minutes. The opening title track has its moments with tribal-like pounding rhythms, slow, pulsating guitars, and horror filled vocals. That is all well and good, but Dirge tends to meander far too much here. The twenty four minutes could have easily been cut down about ten minutes without sacrificing any of their message. It is with 'Endless' that Dirge reaches the albums pinnacle. It is a truly powerful song that brings to mind Neurosis classic Times of Grace. This is certainly the direction of the band needs to go to distinguish themselves.
In the end, And Shall the Sky Descend is good, but could have been better. It seems the band might be trying too hard to a band they are not instead of letting their individual talents shine through. Here is to the future.
Official Dirge Website
Official Equilibre Music Website
