DOPELORD ~ REALITY DAGGER ..... review

With a back catalogue behind them that has never slipped below essential listening it could be argued that Polish lords of the heavy riff Dopelord are fast becoming considered stoner doom/metal royalty. The band have, since their formation, consistently delivered quality heavy grooves without ever once compromising their sound in a vain attempt to crossover to a more mainstream audience. From their very first release, "Magick Rites", it was obvious this was a band with something special about them, a band who could be brutal when called upon but who also knew a thing or two about melody and songcraft. This year Dopelord return with  "Reality Dagger" a three song opus that cements their status as one of the world's finest exponents of stonerized doom and metal.

Dopelord are renowned for their big low slung riffs and the opening track of their new EP wastes no time in establishing this as fact by not fannying around with some intricate and clever intro and instead just jumping headlong into the songs titanic riff right from the outset. "Dark Coils" is classic Dopelord, its guitar riffs are huge, downtuned and crunching, its bass lines growl. boom and rumble and its rhythms are powerful. pounding and thunderous, if there is anything that sets it apart from the sound explored on previous Dopelord releases it is that the songs vocals are a little less buried and a little more prominent in the mix. "Your Blood" follows and begins with a short burst of percussive power then like its predecessor leaps straight into its main riff, this time however the band utilize those songcraft skills, spoke of earlier, by coupling the songs massive refrains with bluesy lead guitar and a vocal melody that swings with an almost nursery rhyme(ish) meter. Those that get off on Dopelord's more sludgier, doomier sonic assault will be pleased to hear that the band have, with title track "Reality Dagger", not abandoned that aspect of their sound, here we find the band delivering a mixture of clean and growled vocals played off against each other over a groove that cleverly blends low. slow heaviness with moments of strident stoner metal bluster while occasionally throwing into the mix the odd lysergic laced curveball to add interest, the song also sees Piotr Dobry of Weedpecker fame guesting on additional guitar.

In the unlikely event you come to this review having never heard Dopelord before then remedy that by giving "Reality Dagger" a spin and then working your way backwards to their debut, however if you are already familiar with this excellent band then you won't need us to tell you this is an essential purchase!

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