| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 9 |
| Interest | 8 |
| Melody | 8 |
| Performance | 9 |
| Lyrics | 8 |
| Enjoyment | 8 |
| Recording Quality | 7 |
| Commercial Appeal | 8 |
| Overall | 8.1 |
Ditheramb - Crushed to Dust
I have been listening to these four guys from Oz for a while now, and there are some common themes in their music. Their songs are heartfelt and serious, sometimes verging on depressing, and they contrast clean guitar arpeggios with full-on searing powerchords. Back in my teens, I would probably have been a huge fan, as in these ways they are similar to old favourites of mine like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.
Crushed to Dust is true to the bands form, both melodic and brutal in equal messure. The lyrics describe a dark vision of life with drugs, guns etc, without being too specific, the vocals being employed more as a melodic instrument, especially with the backing harmonies. The vocals are often sung slowly with a healthy dose of reverb, which serves to further place them in a more melodic position.
The song is performed with a familiar synchronicity. With all the change-ups and fills you can bet they have practiced it enough times. Over 6 mins is a relatively long track, going against it in the pop stakes, but every second is filled with vocals, or interesting melodic interludes. This longer format is probably more fulfilling for true metal fans than for the average listener.
The long intro and melodic outro both present the darker, harder content in a sort of sugary coating. I like both the acoustic melodic sections and the overdriven guitar sections and the contrast between them is used well in the arrangement.
Production wise I think they can get a slightly better sound. According to their page they recorded this in their own studio, which is pretty admirable. The sound however is quite mono. The drums seem a little bit too far away and lack bass in the earlier louder section (2:06). In the the later heavy section (4:06) the drums seem to punch through better and this is actually my favourite bit of the track, proper moshing music with screaming guitars.
To me, it sounds like the recordings are actually pretty crisp, though there are slightly muddy sections, possibly due to ambience fx or ambience in the recordings themselves. I think some better placement of each instrument in the mix would be an obvious improvement. Certainly all the parts themselves are performed with confidence and precision, no question there.
Overall, Crushed to Dust is a good example of the Ditheramb sound. They aren't going for the pop market, thats clear enough. I think most people will be polarised by their style but for those who appreciate a good, if slightly melancholy song, there is much there to feast your ears on.
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