BRIDGING REALMS

"Bridging Realms" is album number two for this four piece from Colorado. An interesting setup here with the two females leading the way on vocals but they are also the soloists playing guitar, keyboards and flute between them. The guys are the rhythm section and the drummer adds sax, while the bassist adds mandolin. The key here is that we get extreme female vocals at times from the guitarist/flautist, along with that down-tuned guitar making me think of early KATATONIA. This is contrasted well with the mellow sections where often the piano, flute and clean vocals lead the way.

It's interesting that there's another DREADNAUGHT on the site here, but yes spelled slightly different but also from the USA, and also under eclectic. That band released an album called "American Standard" that is impressive to say the least. This DREADNOUGHT gives us four tracks worth just under 53 minutes. Yes, they stretch things out and contrast styles well. The opener "Ode To Ether" is a great track to sample because it incorporates everything that this band is about. The atmosphere, flute, piano, clean and harsh vocals, down-tuned guitar. I like the drumming too when it gets heavier after 7 minutes.

There's a lot of trippy music on "Odyssey" and it is the longest at 14 minutes. It also contains all the things I mentioned on the opener. I do prefer both "Minuet De Lune" and "Transpiration" which are back to back before that closing title track where the harsh vocals return. I can handle the vocals and I've heard extreme female vocals before, I just am not a big fan of them. This band released their debut in 2013 and they continue to this day, having released five studio albums in the process. They have their fans. I wish I was one of them.