21 Oct 2014 // A review by Kerry MB
Dragonstone is a two piece Wellington duo, exploding with potential in the most primitive way.
The three tracked self titled EP doesn’t give enough away. Unrefined, there is a diamond in the rough here, if it were not for a little fine tuning.
Their fuzzed out blend of Sabbath-esque and dark overtones give them such an ambient sound that is progressive and interesting.
With any EP or album, vocals are a crucial part of the discovery, so without any, it could fall upon deaf ears. Dragonstone make some amends with such a strong development of sound.
First track,
Come Inside is only 1 minute and 18 seconds of unadulterated sludge oblivion. A tease of what’s to follow, however, the downfall is its length.
Next up is
On My Back with a signature growl that is bleak and mysterious. 3 minutes and 21 seconds in, the mysterious part becomes clearer, giving way to a crunchy tempo jam.
An absolute heart racer moment you don’t expect. Think (Auckland band) Keretta without the synth, infused with a good portion of Kyuss’s under rated debut album, Wretch.
Last, but not least, third track, the appropriately named,
Rock Hard is here.
If I’m not mistaken, this is an Metallica tinged affair to begin with. A sweet simple melody that I definitely was not expecting, and I loved it.
Once again, a heaviness drowns everything into proportion with a dash of fuzzy distortion, laced with a change of tempo at 1 minute and 8 seconds. Fading out as it ends, once again, it leaves you wanting more, with its lack of vocals.
Dragonstone is a band to watch out for. With such strong influences, they can only go up from here.