Thursday, August 16, 2012

Dopethrone - III (2012)


Following up with their third full length album, Dopethrone has stepped up from the underground metal scene from Canada and delivered a bang. The trio have come up with "III" which contains five monstrous track filled with destructive guitar riffs and wicked drum rolls. They offer devilish death metal growls along with groovy southern melodies.

The album opens with a dark spoken word in "Hooked." The title fits the track perfectly because you'll become hooked right when the guitars drop. They have a very southern flow to them making you want to bob your head immediately. Soon after come the drums which shower you with bright cymbals and crisp snares. Although they list themselves as stoner metal, the vocals have a more harsh tone to them giving off a deeper growl. It definitely has a more demonic feel to it. Most of the tempo stays the same throughout the song along with similar riffs, however the they pick up things up with a very catchy groovy melody towards the end that makes this track well worth it.

"Reverb Deep" follows with ten minutes of pure violence. It also opens with some spoken word which shortly gets cut off by wretched distortion and punishing chugging guitar riffs. Cymbals splash away recklessly in the background while booming kicks and snares rumble behind them. The vocals enter about a minute in with ominous screams that'll send chills down your spine immediately. The bass delivers the same melody backing up the guitars as you continue to bash your head to the chugging patterns. Towards the middle of the track you'll come across a calm and insane guitar solo that'll will definitely sweep you off of your feet. The only problem with this track is that after a whie it gets a little repetitive with the same guitar riff from the beginning. This song could have only been five or six minutes long and still would have gotten its point across.

"Storm Reefer" also opens with spoken word and then jumps right into groovy guitar riffs. The distortion scream down you throat with wicked tones. This seven minute piece of work follows similar structure to the one before it however it changes up towards the last two minutes as a magnificent guitar solo steps in with a real blue like feel to it. It's drenched in sound effects and filters giving it a very psychedelic tone. "Devil's Dandruff" is the shortest track on the album running for a little under four minutes long. I think it could have easily been blended with "Storm Reefer." The tempo steps up a little while the guitars become a little more violent and loud. The drums continue to beat you into the ground with thunderous fills and relentless snares and cymbals. The growls jump in and out keeping you add the edge of your seat the whole time.

The final track, entitled "Cult Leader" wastes no time with spoken words as it jumps right into a slow guitar riff that is soon joined by another distorted riff. This track definitely has a doom feel to it. The tempo is slow and the riffs are dark and progressive. eventually they do add some spoken word on top of theses riffs but then cut it off with more wretched screams that come in over top. The distortion on the guitars are very muddy and give a solid stoner feeling to the mix. They give you an early solo abut two and a half minutes in with more trippy sound effects and groovy tunes. The end of the track gets a lot louder with exploding drum fills and wild cymbals that collide in the background. This is definitely the way to end this beast of an album.

Dopethrone has a very unique sound in their guitars making it crystal clear tell them apart from others. The distortion has a very distinct sound to it in each song. "III" may only have five tracks but these track will definitely have you wanting more. So be prepared for the replay button. You won't be able to help yourself.

8/10

Official Site - http://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/album/iii

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