Metal Blade – Out Now.
Dew-Scented is a band pretty close to my heart, as my first ever album review was for their 5th studio album “Impact”. It seemed quite appropriate, therefore, that I should be the one to also review the German quintet’s latest offering “Insurgent”, seeing as the purpose of this nineteen track collection is to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary. So, how does one celebrate twenty years in the music industry?
Opinions and approaches vary, of course, but for the guys in Dew-Scented the decision was simple. They would record a handful of new tracks for the purpose of keeping the creative juices flowing, incorporate good quality live-takes of classic material in order to please their loyal fans and, finally, indulge in a number of cover songs that, I assume, hold specific meaning to them. The end result, as one would expect, is quite varied.
Strangely enough, the least interesting part of this collection are the new tracks. Don’t get me wrong: songs like “Confronting Entropy” and “In Dying Mode” contain some decent crunchy/groovy riffs, but do not offer anything spectacularly fresh. Live renditions of classic material, such as “Sworn To Obey” and “Storm Within”, on the other hand, are much more interesting as they prove what a great force Dew-Scented can be when they find themselves in their natural environment – on stage.
Finally, this collection incorporates seven covers, most of which are of Punk/Hardcore orientated bands, and the fact that their versions of “Steady Decline” (originally by Prong) and “Good Day For A Hanging” (originally by Wasted Youth) sound so good is proof of how influential this style of music has been on the band’s musical upbringing.
Two decades of defying trends, releasing albums all starting with the letter ‘I’ and pretty much doing things their own way is a pretty long history and that is one of the reasons why Dew Scented deserve all the respect they can get. As far as celebrating this milestone, releasing a collection like “Insurgent” would seem the right way to go about things, as such moments ought to be mainly shared between the band and its loyal fan base – to which this release will almost certainly appeal. Happy Birthday, guys!
John Stefanis
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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