CD Review: Dry Kill Logic: The Dead and Dreaming

2001 was a long summer for me. That summer I was on crutches, couldn't drive my car (it was a standard), and was worried about how I was going to get in to a Fear Factory show on July 10th I had tickets for. I contacted the club's owner to see what arrangements could be made for someone in my condition. They graciously allowed me entrance as soon as I arrived, meaning I didn't have to wait in line, plus they gave me a seat in the balcony with a great view of the stage. What does any of this have to do with Dry Kill Logic you ask? It turns out that they were the opening act, and when I arrived they were still onstage finishing up their sound check. I was completely unfamiliar with them, their debut CD was released less then a month prior, but the riffs during the check sounded promising. An hour later they went onstage and tear it up for about 30-40 minutes. I was hooked. Now, three years later they have released their latest dose of destruction.



2004 sees the release of The Dead and Dreaming, an even better album than The Darker Side of Nonsense. This time featuring a new lineup after some upheavals at their label and a near change in direction. The past 3 years have seen the exit of guitarist Scott Thompson and bassist Dave Kowatch, and the entrance of former Gargantua Soul guitar player Jason Bozzi, and former Down for Low bassist Danny Horboychuk. This lineup has delivered a more diverse sounding album, but still on the leading edge of the current hard metal scene. This band seems to be on the verge of making real headway towards the top of the food chain, currently being led by the likes of Fear Factory, Slipknot, Machine Head, and Mudvayne.

After listening to this album through a few times, it really begins to grow on you. There is a lot to take in on this album, playing the fine line between melodic metal and bone crunching destruction. It's a line that not many can cross, Fear Factory does it, Machine Head does it, Iced Earth does it, Slipknot not so much. Dry Kill Logic fits in with a lot of up and coming heavy acts like Lollipop Lust Kill, Mushroomhead, and Motograter. Standing on the cusp of greatness, helping to bring in a new era of metal.

I guess I should talk about the album a bit more. The Dead and Dreaming represents a growth from The Darker Side of Nonsense. A stronger sense of melody and also a heavier overall feel dominates this album. Cliff Rigano leads the charge with his raspy scream alternating with a softer straight up singing voice, leading the heavy riffs from Jason Bozzi, all with the steady rhythms section of bassist Danny Horboychuk and drummer Phil Arcuri.

The album opens with the blistering track Lost, a heavy riffing guitar assault. That is followed up by the first single Paper Tiger which brings up memories of Mudvayne and Fear Factory with the heavy riffing strong back beat and alternating singing styles leading with a guttural growl followed by a smooth melodic voice soaring above open chords. Next is Buckles, which is a pure sense assault clipped rhythms abound as it rips through, features some great interplay between guitar and drums. The sonic assault continues until we reach the surprisingly mellow Neither Here Nor Missed, it opens with some bass work followed by some smooth guitar playing and Cliff's voice soaring over it, interludes of roughness break it up, don't want the listener to rest easy. One of the best openings of any metal song in recent memory is in One Armed Knife Fight, a unique guitar riff leads us into the next dose of destruction. We draw to a close with No Reason, a slow paced, acoustic based near ballad depressing tale of loss.

The Dead and Dreaming is an album not to be missed by metal fans. If you are a fan of any of te bands I mentioned earlier and don't know about these guys, be prepared for a surprise. Go get the album, spin it, love it. These guys are here to stay on their own terms, whether you like or not.

Highly Recommended.