ALBUM REVIEW: Savages – The Dali Thundering Concept
THE DALI THUNDERING CONCEPT have been making waves over recent years which has subsequently earned them appearances at Euro Blast Festival and UK Tech-Metal Festival. This year sees the french quintet hoping to take advantage of this building momentum with their second full length release entitled Savages, due for release on April 13th via Apathia Records.
Ostrich Dynasty gets underway with peculiar chiming and mechanical noises before kicking directly into bursts of high tempo drumming and spine tingling screams. Intricate, syncopated riffing rises to the forefront alongside some jazzy lead work in true progressive fashion instilling that THE DALI THUNDERING CONCEPT aren’t preparing you for a smooth ride. The Myth of Happiness commences with an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland before firing into an energised tirade damning the world’s fascination with commercialism. Melodic tones float throughout the frenzied aggression of djent soaked riffing as the kick drums cut through like razors.
Blessed with Boredom provides a little respite from the chaos with a chilled ambient intro as a typewriter effect chitters away in the background before continuing with upbeat edgy riff work and flourishes of technical intricacy. This demeanour is short-lived however as the track descends into a downtuned barrage of mind bending mathcore anarchy. Cassandra continues the thought-provoking conceptualisation with ominous synths and jarring piano segments whilst a harrowing passage proclaiming how the world will end because of people possessing “too much power” which ironically is the calm before the storm teeing up the proceeding track There Is No Calm Before the Storm. Distorted ambient tones are soon negated by evil sounding riffing ramping up the intensity before transitioning between savage screaming and visceral growls. Waves of riffs follow through the track as you are consistently bludgeoned.
Mild confusion ensues as Ink throws the blueprint for previous tracks out of the window taking a more deathcore/slam approach with growls summoned directly from Satan himself. Quirky sci-fi style tones follow before the song takes a further step down the staircase to hell with incendiary blastbeats and the sheer guttural ferocity of OCEANO‘s Adam Warren. Following track Flying With The Shepherds doesn’t love much room to catch your breath as further mathcore mayhem ensues with enough ferocity to rip your head clean off and just for the exclamation point it is soon followed by an utterly searing breakdown. At this stage the end of the world actually seems like a possibility.
Demeter brings a welcome level of parity to proceedings as the comforting sound of rain begins to flow giving you a chance to piece your brain back together after the uncaged insanity that has just ensued. Jazzy arrangements commence with unnerving piano instalments alongside chilling saxophone pieces. The intermission from the unravelling brutality ends once more as Empty the Void ferociously hammers what little energy you had left remaining in your body right out of you with further bouts of downtuned jabbing.
Utopia brings an almost “bring out your dead” style vibe to the mix which fades into an infectious guitar/drum combo. The track chops and changes tempo rapidly as you are welcomed by the soothing tones of KADINJA‘s Philippe Charny providing a little portion of melody interwoven between the syncopated riffing, funky bass lines and saxophone passages to keep you on your toes.
As the end draws near We Build the Past takes a more optimistic, upbeat approach whilst still managing to maintain its unrelenting heaviness. The track commences with the sound of marching in the background alongside further potent screaming declaring “We’re survivors, we’re the future” in an almost call to arms fashion. Elaborate solo work and synth accompaniments rise to the surface offering up one final blast of technical proficiency before bringing Savages to a close.
Savages encapsulates a variety of diverse elements without becoming too dense or overwhelming to digest. The array of frantic time signatures and technical expertise is very impressive and signifies a band which are comfortable with the unknown. Willing to push boundaries and defy genres to build on what the stalwarts of the tech metal field have established before them to create something inspiring and incredibly invigorating. If THE DALI THUNDERING CONCEPT had evaded your radar thus far you will certainly be hard pressed to overlook them after this release.
Rating: 9/10
Savages is due for release on April 13th via Apathia Records.
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