Few bands of the 2000s underwent the kind of musical transitions that happened to Dredg. It wasn’t so much happenstance as it was intentional, though. Perhaps it was the members of the band growing up in the same scene as bands like Deftones and Far, though, that inspired them to take a different route to success. Shifting drastically from 1999’s Leitmotif to 2002’s El Cielo though, it was perhaps time for Dredg to do a little something a little more accessible.
Enter 2005 album Catch Without Arms. The closest the band would ever get to more of a mainstream audience, that doesn’t take away from the kind of intricacy and interesting songwriting you’ll find here. While signature song “Bug Eyes” is among the best songs that band has ever written, that’s certainly not the end of the story here. The album, produced by Terry Date (Deftones, Soundgarden, Limp Bizkit), is a musical tour-de-force for anyone who experiences it. Vocalist Gavin Hayes electrifies with stunning performances all over the place, especially busy album opener “Ode To The Sun” and “Not That Simple”. Instrumentally, the record is much more straightforward than Dredg’s previous material, but it’s also built on lyrical contrasts. Still, there’s much to enjoy for fans of art rock, progressive rock, and forward-thinking music as a whole. In particular, “Bug Eyes” is a must-listen no matter what kind of music you enjoy. A band with originality and instrumental prowess does not come along in this fashion too often, so enjoy!
