LEITMOTIF

leitmotif is a young, more aggresive dredg. It is a concept album about a journey across several continents to rid one of a moral disease, and through the many varied songs it does take you on an incredible journey.

The album starts with a faint buzzing noise that gets louder and louder until exploding into the first track "Symbol Song." (there is alot of confusion about the track listing, because the symbol on the back of the leitmotif case is actually supposed to be the first song) A very aggresive and heavy song, great guitar here and gavins waling vocals add some awesome intensity. We then move on to the first instrumental "movement" on the album, "Movement I: @45ºN. 180ºW" which follows a similar rythmn to the first song, the song really goes nowhere in its short span though.

The next track is one of my all time dredg favourites! "Lechium" is pure dredg goodness. Floating guitar lines augmented by Drew's pulsating bass line, carried along nicely by some background vocals that give the song an almost middle eastern feel. Gavin sounds incredible in this track as well, foreshadowing what he will accomplish vocally in "El Cielo." Some other standout tracks on the album is the furious "Penguins In The Desert", Possibly their heaviest song to date, from the opening guitar riff, this song will have you hooked. It starts VERY aggresive and heavy but then takes a complete turn in mood. The last 2 minutes of the track are very psychedelic and proggy, eventually building into an intense finale, all the while Gavin pushing his vocals to the limit, absolutely awesome! The instrumental song after this is not to be missed! Very atmospheric and trippy, even using a cello near the end of the track, brilliant!

One complaint would have to be the 2 minutes or so of noise after "Traversing Through the Arctic Cold, We Search for the Spirit of Yuta" ("Intermission" is not actually a song, but the noise after the 5th track) It never really seems to go anywhere and seems like filler to me.

The track listing on the site says the 9th track "Movement V: 90 Hour Sleep" is actually 20 minutes, but dont be fooled! Its actually only 2 minutes and the rest is dead air until the secret song, which really isnt anything special but odd jams in the studio. Though it would have been nice if the song was 20 minutes long, because it is an excellent song!

A highly recommended debut, and essential for anybody wanting to get into dredg!

4/5

Share this DREDG review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to con safo
• Report this review (#51779)
• Buy DREDG music online with PA partners
• Show all DREDG MP3/Stream
• Go to DREDG page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Leitmotif page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for DREDG related discussions