Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Album Review: dredg: El Cielo

This is the second full length album from Los Gatos prog rockers, dredg, and is undoubtedly one of the greatest things that I have ever heard.

I have already mentioned that I am a sucker for a concept album. El Cielo or "In Heaven" in spanish ( which is where I feel I am when listening to this masterpiece) is a concept record focussed on sleep paralysis. The way that lead vocalist, Gavin Hayes, went about creating lyrics was ingenious. Hayes decided to collect letters from people who experience sleep paralysis to write to him. He then used the visions and experiences described in these letters as inspiration for the lyrics. Some lyrics are verbatim excerpts from these letters.

El Cielo is a true "album". Every song needs the song that precedes it and succeeds it. There is not a second of wasted time here. And the music is top notch. You will hear some of the most powerful chorus' of your life on songs : "Same Ol' Road", "Sanzen", "Whoa is Me" and "It only took a day".

I encourage anyone with an open mind to new and interesting concepts in music to check this record out. It has influenced and inspired many and gets daily rotation in my cd player 6 years after it's release.

www.myspace.com/dredg

They are the kings.

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