DYSERGY

The Dutch seem to have a special gift when it comes to female-fronted, dark atmospheric prog rock/metal acts. The Gathering are an obvious reference, but also Within Temptation and more recently Scarlet Stories and Golden Caves. The latter have self-released their second album this year, Dysergy, an album that made quite a few ripples in the progressive rock scene, to the point that Golden Caves were nominated as emergent talent by the prestigious UK PROG magazine.

Dysergy is indeed a captivating album. Its roots lie in the alternative rock sound, but the atmospheres are dark and the band does not refrain from experimenting with various styles and influences, from grunge to progressive rock/metal (crunchy distorted guitars, occasional scream vocals), to djent, to electronica and synth-driven rock, to even some pop. The Gathering of the late 90s/early 00s are an obvious influence, not much in the vocals (in fact, Romy Ouwerkerk's timbre is quite distinct from that of The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen), but rather in the guitar sound, in the sophisticated rhythmic arrangements and , more generally, in the way they combine dark and oblique atmospheres with catchy and melodic delivery. Elsewhere, Dysergy brings to mind bands like Tool ("Dignity"), Radiohead ("Happy Dreams") and the more recent, synth-heavy incarnation of Leprous ("How to Care", "Somehow").

It is a very pleasant album to listen to, cleverly shifting style and atmosphere across its tracks to keep the listener entertained throughout its duration. Harder pieces like "Chromosome" and "Dygnity" are juxtaposed to moodier tracks that almost entirely rely on brooding synths and layered vocals ("How to Care", "Somehow"). "Hide & Seek" and "Temperature" strike a good balance between the hard and soft sides of the band and are also the tracks where the influence of The Gathering is perhaps most obvious. Meanwhile, "Samsara" brings in some vaguely oriental influences and proves to be one of the highlights of the album. The quality levels drops somewhat in some of the other tracks, that either flow away a tad too anonymously ("Little Lonely") or sound somewhat too derivative ("Black Hound", "Happy Dreams" ? the latter could almost be a tribute to Radiohead).

In terms of performances, singer Romy Ouwerkerk clearly stands out, as she is very talented. At times, she reminds me of Sharon den Adel in her early days, but her deep, dark falsetto also evokes Skin of Skunk Anansie. I particularly liked how her performance strikes a good balance between catchy hooks and classy and refined melodies. Inevitably, the songs rely a lot on her vocal delivery, which makes Dysergy a very vocal-driven album. As a consequence, the song structures are kept fairly simple and never stray too far away from the standard verse/chorus repetition. There is also limited scope for very prominent instrumental passages: the music by and large provides a sophisticated, carefully arranged background that let Romy's vocals fully stand out.

Overall, this is a pleasant album, showing that Golden Caves are a band of great potential. However, I do not feel this potential is yet fully realized. To rise to the next level, I think the band would need to show a bit more personality and dare to take a few risks, moving further away from their influences, which are showcased perhaps a bit too obviously on Dysergy. I also wish they could move past the traditional pop-structures and vocal-driven music of the current album, to develop a sound with a bit more depth and weight that could draw me back to the album over a longer period of time (I doubt I will return very often to Dysergy in the future). But, for now, this is a more than adequate album and I will remain curious to see what Golden Caves's next move will be.