The Drood. Nathan Jamiel, Daniel Watts and Hayden Peltier. Photo by Shane Etter
Denver-based band The Drood recently dropped their latest LP, The Book of Drood, marking the band’s fourth LP release. This album signals a revival of The Drood’s core sound, following the ambient and noise-rich textures of their previous work, Superposition. Led by Nathaniel Jamiel’s haunting vocals, the album navigates through nine tracks with the rhythmic support of Daniel Watts and Hayden Peltier, delivering what the band humourously describes as “serpentine psych-tinged art-rock for the discriminating psychonaut.”
The opening track, Static Time, channels the intense drama reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins, painting a vivid picture of entrapment. It captures a figure in a state of haunting limbo, ensnared physically in amber and metaphorically within the confines of their own psyche, hovering in a space between life and death, a symbol of void. The track explores deep themes such as abandonment, the act of projecting one’s fears, and the perpetual imprisonment within a single moment or memory. Complementing this eerie tale, Wizardhead’s accompanying video is a disconcerting visual feast, crafted through AI, blending the dark strokes of Expressionism with the classic terror of Hammer horror films and the worst fever dream experience one could conjure. There is great beauty, however, in this shadow world.
Following this, An Exercise In Simplicity offers a more contemplative experience. This instrumental piece weaves together the ethereal echoes of chants that echo the Kid-A era of Radiohead, alongside the laid-back guitar and bass rhythms akin to Khruangbin. Flanks of Hubris then introduces an urban sophistication through its lush synth pads, while maintaining a foundation in psychedelia, reminiscent of The Dandy Warhols. The sequence continues with the unsettling Determinism (feat. Orbit Service), marked by its toy piano introduction and haunting whispered vocals.
Leave The Lights On ushers us into a softer realm, characterized by minimalist guitar strumming and deliberate, slow-paced drumming. Conversely, Flags propels us into a realm that melds the raw edges of industrial sound with the deep shadows of the human psyche. It features lethargic saw synths, voices that echo hauntingly with prolonged delays, and drums that resonate with the solemnity of a dirge.
To Fetch A Hefty Jeff channels David Lynch’s bizarre sound experiments with its distorted spoken word opener and plodding, melancholic melody. Sounding like a radio crackle in dead airspace, the vocals float beautifully overhead, transcending the din. The theme continues with Lunch Break, with its eerie guitar work and sparse piano. Finally the album concludes with Make Up, channeling Radiohead’s spacey, echoing chants a gorgeously weird piano melody, and theremin wails – you can’t tell the difference between cacophony and euphony, but it will keep those neurons firing.
Listen to “The Book of Drood” below, and order the album here:
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