| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 8 |
| Interest | 7 |
| Melody | 7 |
| Performance | 7 |
| Lyrics | 8 |
| Enjoyment | 7 |
| Recording Quality | 6 |
| Commercial Appeal | 7 |
| Overall | 7.1 |
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Metal genre, since it was the music I grew up on as a kid. Ditheramb is a melodic metal band from Australia, and they have asked for a review on the tune “ Crushed to Dust”.
This song starts out gently. Rain in the background and clean, melodic strummed chords set the tone of the composition. The vocals are introduced, a little flat, but I like the tone of the singer’s voice. Dramatic drum punches, with guitar and bass, are added for emphasis. Then the assault of the angry guitars comes in. Ahhh....metal. Ditheramb lists themselves as melodic metal. I agree. I think the melody of this tune is haunting and well crafted. I also think the structure of the song is very good. There are several different movements throughout the tune that break up the piece nicely and give the listener’s ear a different palette to take in. I’m reminded while listening to this of Dream Theater , and that ain’t bad. The drums are powerful and the rhythm changes enough that the song never feels static. The arrangement of the song is top-notch. Great job. Now...the production. When the guitar is playing cleanly, I think the mix is very good. When the distortion box gets stomped on, the angry-bumble-bees-in-the-jar tone arrives. It’s not that it’s an unpleasant tone; it’ just that the melody is completely buried at this point. Don’t get me wrong, it is damned powerful. It sounds to me as if they layered the guitar tracks to make it sound bigger, but in doing so, the notes and chords are lost. That’s a shame because I like the melody of the song. The bass is also way too strong in the mix. The choruses just become a jumble of noise while the guitar and the bass battle to see who wins in drowning out the vocalist. There’s a guitar break in the song, where the lone guitar chugs away at a riff by itself, and I thought “Wow, I can finally hear the guitar, not the distortion only!” Sometimes, less is more. The aforementioned vocals, while hitting a few flat notes, have the requisite rock tone and good delivery. Unfortunately, throughout most of the song, they are lost in the mix. The drumming is also good, but could also be brought to the forefront somewhat. The double-time section is tight. They sound like a band that has been playing together for awhile. The song ends as it begins with gentle notes fading out. Again, the arrangement is great.
I think overall, from what I’ve heard of Ditheramb , they are a good band with strong songwriting abilities. With a little help in the studio, I think that becomes even more apparent. If metal is your thing, then “Crushed to Dust” is definitely worth a listen.
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