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DREADNAUGHT

Eclectic Prog • United States


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Dreadnaught picture
Dreadnaught biography
Founded in New Hampshire, USA in 1996

DREADNAUGHT explores a unique blend of prog and traditional American music - call it 'symphonic Bluegrass' if you will, or 'Progabilly' as the band like to call it themselves. If the mere mention of the words makes you cringe, however, think again: only the most rabid country-music-hating ProgSnobs would scorn these guys. This highly entertaining outfit blends some of the most unlikely elements ever to be found in prog. Although predominantly instrumental, their albums feature a fair number of vocal pieces recalling early PHISH; touches of The DIXIE DREGS and KANSAS also come through in the violin filled tracks.

They have released four studio albums since 1998. Their first (self-titled) features among other tracks a number of live showstoppers from 1996 to 1999. Their second, "Una Vez Mas" (2000), is an eclectic and vibrant sonic excursion that veers from tightly arranged, hook-filled pieces to improvisational prog-soul hybrids. "The American Standard" (2001), yet another stewing brew of sturdy jazz rock with Southern accents, remains a fan favourite todate, although a brand new album has just been released, "Musica en Flagrante" (2004), which is said to be less rockabilly and features more Fender Rhodes.

Highly recommended to fans of the HAMPTON GREASE BAND, BOZZIO LEVINS STEVENS and LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT.

: : : Lise (HIBOU), CANADA : : :

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DREADNAUGHT discography


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DREADNAUGHT top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.40 | 5 ratings
Dreadnaught
1998
3.33 | 6 ratings
Una Vez Mas
2000
4.38 | 48 ratings
The American Standard
2001
4.46 | 35 ratings
Musica En Flagrante
2004
3.95 | 15 ratings
Hard Chargin'
2017
4.00 | 5 ratings
Northern Burner
2021

DREADNAUGHT Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.50 | 2 ratings
Live At Mojo
2005

DREADNAUGHT Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

DREADNAUGHT Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 4 ratings
High Heat & Chin Music
2006

DREADNAUGHT Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.45 | 6 ratings
Have A Drink With Dreadnaught
2013
4.33 | 3 ratings
Gettin' Tight With Dreadnaught
2015

DREADNAUGHT Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Hard Chargin' by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.95 | 15 ratings

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Hard Chargin'
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Ahhhhhhh...another album by my beloved Dreadnaught. This is a good era for the band's fans, the long hiatus after the excellent Musica En Flagrante ended as we got two EPs that came out in 2013 and 2015 and now a full album with all new material. Style wise I can say the band has stayed put, if you heard any of their recent EPs, Hard Chargin' won't be any different, they keep on that cool southern american country thing going on while mixing it with a funky vibe and some weirdness all meshed together creating a wild and unique style of their own. There are tons of different ideas here, they like jumping from one to the other before you'll get too comfortable in your seat, this is 100% progressive and they do it while still keeping everything super super groovy! Their unique unmatched sound is also present, the everlasting crunchy tones of Justin Walton and Bob Lord mixed together so perfectly sometimes you can't tell where one begin and the other end, they also add keys and saxophone to the mix contributing to a fuller sound. Rick Habib is of course in good shape turning these guys into a very powerful trio. The playing is of course top notch and complex, this will take several spins to fully comprehend, although they are as far as being technical as you can think of, there are about a million notes flying all over through different layers of sounds, when they really kick it into gear you know they are trully one of the best bands out there.

The album begins with a couple of rockers, which is about the most conventional as you're gonna get from this album, although they are short (only 3 minutes) they are both very intricate, going through several ideas, especially check out Gaudy Baubles, the playing is just amazing, there is so much going on in there, it's kinda hard grasping what the hell is that you're listening to. Even in the next 1 minute track these guys are letting it all loose, jumping from heavy riffing to bizzare vocals and even a short manic solo by Walton which is on fire already at this point. Takin' A Ride With The Fat Man is the next 8 minute track, although this one lets you breath for a while it doesn't really say the trio has calmed down in any way, on the contrary they now have more room to mess with you, that's the place where they unleash their weirdest sounds, and go flying away somewhere half way through, this song again has so much going on it's hard to fully describe in words. Express Delight is going into my list of favorite Dreadnaught tracks, starting with that insane intro where distorted guitar sounds go together with a calm saxophone and flute under a fuzzy dirty bass, fantastic! the tension rises and breaks into this intricate rhythm with sax and keys, beautiful! it continues from there on and on, just check out the playing here, Walton and Lord are really nailing it there, how are they coming with those noises an phrases I will never know. Slave Girls offers another progy tune jumping through several ideas now adding a violin to the party, classic stuff! The stage is set in Mummies Of The Cobbosseecontee where they can delve into more experimental territories, this is maybe their longest song to date clocking over at 10 minutes. The intro is fantstic, very much like something from the Musica En Flagrante album. Piano, keys and drums all mixed together in an avant garde kind of theme, it then blows away and continues, It's a race car of crazy guitar licks and odd bass lines sounds, Killer stuff all the way.

Dreadnaught continues to release high quality material after all these years, and it just puzzles me how all this time and they are still pretty much unknown even in the archives. Do your self a favor and get to know this band! 4.5 stars rounded down this time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

 Hard Chargin' by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.95 | 15 ratings

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Hard Chargin'
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by KingRukus

4 stars The adventure begins with the cover, a phantasmagoric melange of images: a Polar bear, a mummy, a half-naked chained slavegirl, a speeding red General Lee-type car (all of which turn out to be characters in the songs) boldly arranged like an iconographic movie poster, with the title "Hard Chargin'" streaking across, some Tarantino / Rodriguez / Carnahan mash-up, a poster for a movie that was never made, or rather a movie that gets made anew in your mind every time you hear the soundtrack.

Have a Drink with Dreadnaught: the music begins with this jaunty, bouncey tune, a straight-forward upbeat rocker that is as close to anything "conventional" you are going to get on this disc. A psi-fi warbly keyboard theme interjects like an escaped flying saucer from a B-52's album, and with lyric lines like "spread your seed on the new grid" and "there's a polar bear!" we are in another dimension indeed! (Is that you Modine?) The lyrics to this tune, btw, refer to a story (penned by Geoff "Red Fez" Logsdon) about the band playing in some quasi-mystical bar where dead rock stars live and Duane Allman beats on Dennis DeYoung's balls with a bat, and you can hear his Broadway-worthy vocals howling into the night. You should read it sometime. Have a Drink With Dreadnaught.

Gaudy Baubles: it gets a bit more exotic here with strange effects on the instruments, proof in the pudding of the "veritable [&*!#]load of analog effects pedals" mentioned in the credits. And good for them! Let's hear more outboard effects than all this inboard added-later stuff! The impression of a movie soundtrack holds, a movie for your ears ala Zappa's "Hot Rats". Flute makes an appearance in the sonic mix to great effect.

That's The Way That You Do it (My Way) Suddenly Mr. Bungle roars in, a demonic distorted voice over a fast Ska?type beat, then a micro burst of Steely Dan-ish chords, like a window thrown open on The Royal Scam album, LA Fusion, then slammed shut by Bungle again, a riotous mob of hooligans chanting. This is where the adventure truly begins for me. And its only a 58 second song.

Takin' a Ride with the Fat Man (Fatta Fatta Puck Puck) the Bungle comparison continues for me here, and since I use Bungle as a touchstone / symbol of a certain type of radical genius (in your face energy / unpredictability / a will to craziness) it is one of the highest compliments I can give. I don't know about this fat man or what his deal is, but riding with him sounds like a night on the road with Mr. Toad on acid. A happy driving-down-sunny-highway melody "takin a ride with the fat man / takin a ride / fatta fatta puck puck! (my old percussion instructor taught drum parts by singing them ? "dakka dakka flubba flubba bang!" ? and you have to sing along with them to see how well it works) gives way to pantonal Mothers of Invention-like vocal parts. Rhythmic patterns come and go before you can fully get a grip on them. The music changes constantly then exuberantly unravels into a drum solo, toms rolling down a stairwell. It's over and then it isn't. This song gets the furry kitchen sink thrown in, and reminds me of an old review of Yezda Urfa where the writer advises "don't fight it just let it run bug[&*!#] thru your brain". That is good advice for Dreadnaught and their music: just let it run bug[&*!#] thru your brain!

A note on comparisons: I hear (and you will to) many similarities in Dreadnaught's music, snippets of Dixie Dregs chicken pickin', Zappa / MOI style humor, Bungle manic-ness, pick your favorite band that makes the notes jump thru hoops and do circus tricks. The band members draw from the vast palette of styles and sounds that are now available to us courtesy of the most musical century in our history. The way they put it all together is uniquely their own. Dreadnaught reminds me of many great bands yet they sound like none of them. They have their own style and sound.

Bo-Leg-Ba: One of my favorite tunes. Sounds more like "Ber-Leg-Ba" to me but no matter J Does it have anything to do with the magical-liminal figure Pappa Legba of Voudon mythology? It sounds Caribbean in places so maybe? Happy fun music, makes you wanna dance naked on the beach. And the drum sound is awesome, the toms ring round my head, I can feel there resonance as if I am sitting amongst them as they are played.

Express Delight ? More movie for your ears exoticism. In fact this whole album is the most avant / noisey Dreadnaught recording yet. Sure, meaty slabs of odd-time prog rock riffage abound, but the music is just as likely to go off into left-field noise-scapes as anything. Moments of beauty emerge amidst constant change. The Rock-In-Opposition (RIO) label applies here as a handy guide.

That's The Way That You Do it (Your Way) A return to this lyrical theme but this time as sung by a Hank Williams / Jimmie Rodgers yodeling cowboy in a honky tonk. "That's the way that you do it / that's the waaaayyyeeeeee!" I milk much hilarity out of imagining a drunk Hank groanin' an slobberin' his solo into a mic-driven distortion pedal, as he would have to do on this song! That's the waaaayyyyeeeeee!

Gets the Grease: More slice of avant garde sound sculpture, like something off Zappa's Uncle Meat, but with sax and ethereal piano, to my ears an unintentional echo of American bands like However and The Muffins. Atmospheric.

Slave Girls: My favorite tune on the album. Meaty slabs of odd-time monster riffage stalking thru the forest, knocking over trees. It Rocks! Then?completely different territory, a lilting violin plays a traditional American-sounding melody like something from Copeland's Appalachian Spring. Heartbreakingly beautiful, brings tears to my eyes.

Mummies of The Cobbosseecontee: Actual title that. More movie for your ears, sweeping, cinematic, ambient and noisey. Epic. Goes everywhere. Honestly I haven't heard it enough to fully know what it is. It's an instrumental. Let the ending riff run bug[&*!#] thru your brain!

That's The Way That You Do It (Our Way) Ends on a return to this theme, but now sock-hoppy and poppy. The Grease car flies away into the sky as the credits roll. Did I "get the Grease" there? WTF did we just hear / see? Have to play it again! 

 Musica En Flagrante by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2004
4.46 | 35 ratings

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Musica En Flagrante
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Raccoon

5 stars Nothing Less Than 5 Stars

What a strange being, this one is. After the 'prog-billy' sound of The American Standard, they've come up with a calmer, quieter, but even MORE complex than before. The eerie atmosphere of avant-prog, though it always returns to a terrific melody (usually UNLIKE avant). There's only a few signs of 'prog-billy' remaining, it seems. Only the mad instrumentation on violin and harmonica gives indication of anything 'billy'. Here, there's a carefully-planned rhythmic strike of violins, keyboards floating through the background, unique guitar-interplay melting into the background, drums following a jazzy beat. What you have here is creative, technical brilliance.

R. Daneel Olivaw was posted up on Youtube, which was all I needed to know before making the daring feat and sending $9 through Amazon. Every song on the album is varied, (my favorite aspect) though still follows the same style. Impossible to describe. The mood could be a laid-back guitar ballad, then leads up to a collage of classical piano, sax, drums' unpredictable. The instrumentation is ecstatic and complex. Fans of Birds and Buildings would take comfort here. I hope soon the gang from Dreadnaught will release their American Standard as an MP3 release, I'd love to purchase it but $18 for a physical copy is way above my pay-grade. Thank you, there's albums I listen to once a year and there's albums I listen to repeatedly. This is the latter. Nothing less than 5 stars, ANYONE who gives this a listen will love it. I pray this band doesn't disappear into obscurity; there's a band who've reached their creative peak and this piece proves it.

 The American Standard by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2001
4.38 | 48 ratings

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The American Standard
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars US band DREADNAUGHT has been a going concern ever since 1996, with a live album, an EP and a double CD compilation to their name in addition to four full-length studio productions. "The American Standard" is their third studio album, initially issued in 2001. Five years later the Russian label MALS reissued the album, and then the US label Red Fez Records released it for a third run in 2013.

At the end of the day I'll have to conclude that age has been kind to this production as well. This album is 14 years old at the time of writing, and yet it still comes across as a solid and fresh creation. Not one that will entice any broad audience segment, as this is demanding music, but those with an interest in music that is undeniably challenging, innovative and spirited should give this band and this album an inspection. A certain affection for Americana will probably be an advantage to be able to enjoy this CD, although I don't regard this as a requirement as such.

 The American Standard by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2001
4.38 | 48 ratings

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The American Standard
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by ProgShine
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars Last year I got a package from Dreadnaught containing their most recent EP (Have A Drink With Dreadnaught, reviewed here: progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1088015) and their classic album The American Standard (2001). The low point is that both were cardboard envelopes, but the music, oh the music!

Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013) is an amazing collection of 5 VERY different songs. So I was a bit excited to try out The American Standard (2001). And oh boy, what an album!

Is VERY hard to point a finger on what Dreadnaught did here, IT IS Prog, but at the same time is crazy and full of every genre you could possibly imagine. There's a sense of urgency in the album, a sense of limitless music, a fearless attempt of doing something different, unusual and out of the ordinary. The American Standard (2001) is Progressive in the true sense of the word.

The trio formed by Robert M. Lord (bass, synthesizer and background vocals), Richard R. Habib (drums, percussion and vocals) and Justin S. Walton (electric and acoustic guitars, piano, saxophone, organ and vocals) entered to the hall of my favorite bands. Now I'll go straight to Musica En Flagrante (2004) without any trace of hesitation. HIGHLY recommended! By the way, you can listen/buy all of their albums on their Bandcamp: dreadnaughtmusic.bandcamp.com/

 Have A Drink With Dreadnaught by DREADNAUGHT album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2013
4.45 | 6 ratings

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Have A Drink With Dreadnaught
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars Groovin' the prog rock!

2013 had a lot of great music no doubt about it, but it also included a return to form by one of my most beloved bands in this genre and overall in the archives. It's been 7 years since Dreadnaught released any music to the world but like many cases it was worth the wait. The band released 4 studio albums to this day and are now currently working on a new album/project called Hard Chargin', So what we have now is a quick taste from that project which is supposed to be a full lenth album. This album sounds very mature and confident, it looks like Dreadnaught has found their own niche and feels very comfortable there, it doesn't mean they're releasing the same album over and over again, far from it, they just can do what ever crosses their mind and it works. I mean who the hell can mix country, funk and prog rock?? Well apparently it can be done.

This EP shows Dreadnaught still got it. They are in perfect shape, the playing is tight and accurate as hell and the writing is still very interesting and a lot of fun. Their last album "Musica En Flagrante" showed a creative peak in songwriting while incorporating more acoustic instruments and some evident keyboards resulting in one of the most eclectic albums out there, while sharing the spot light with their session musicians. This time it seems the band is focusing on getting back to their early days, where bass, guitar and drums are dominating the sound, there's still other instruments involved like violins and saxophone, but they contribute to making a bigger and more eclectic sound and not focusing on solos or interplays. It sounds to me like the band is looking at their early years and paying their selves a little tribute, only this time it is done better and it's much more progressive. The music still has that southern US country feel (please don't stop reading), very complex, sophisticated and very progressive, following their distinctive ultra crispy sound. When it comes to mixing groove/funk and prog rock these guys are the masters, the songs benefit from gazillion ideas, evolving from one to the next so easily that you can play it on mainstream radio and no one would notice. Guitar player Justin Walton is no less than a genius in my book, his quirky, groovy runs are unparalleled, he throws all kinds of odd balls and is very diverse in his playing and his ideas, easily one of my favorite guitar players ever. Bassist Bob Lord doesn't take the back seat when it comes to bass players, he's as groovy as his pal and together they are a real force. Rick Habib is handling the task very easily, but what's with that weird snare sound??? I still haven't figured that one out.

I must confess that at first I thought this EP is just good and nothing more, but as the case with so many albums, the picture got clearer with every spin. I guess I just thought they would take a different road, closer to "Musica En Flagrante", but of course I have no trouble with what we have here. "Corrupticus 5" is a country flavoured tune where Justin Walton is the main star here, delivering some brilliant guitars, just pay attention to everything he does, this is really unique and highly eclectic. "Surface Raid" is a rocking instrumental using violin sound in the main theme, it's a stable ground for the band to break wild, very good stuff. "The Bear" is.....what is that?? would that work in a circus?? it's short, fast, zany, complex and has too many ideas for a 3 minute song (I mean that in a good way). "JPF" has some very cool bass playing from Lord, great song overall. "Trophy Bride" is outstanding!! begining with thee coolest guitar mini solo ever on top of some groovy bass line, again very complex and progressive, cramming so many ideas in one song.

So if you like some groove and humor, where music is on the fun side but still maintaining clear prog influences, (think of a progier Phish maybe) check out this album or band. It's actually very hard describing everything that goes on in here so it's better to have a listen, the album is currently available on their bandcamp page. This is essential Dreadnaught, and yes I'm a fan boy! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

 Have A Drink With Dreadnaught by DREADNAUGHT album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2013
4.45 | 6 ratings

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Have A Drink With Dreadnaught
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by ProgShine
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Dreadnaught may not be known by many of you, but they've been recording together since 1998, over 15 years and counting. Formed by the trio Rick Habib (drums), Bob Lord (bass and vocals) and Justin Walton (guitars and vocals) Dreadnaught was absent from recording their own music for quite some time but they are now back with the EP Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013).

It's quite impossible to point a finger to where the band is going or what style exactly they play, but that's precisely what they wanted and you can see it with their official statement: 'What is the point of doing what has already been done? We'll leave that to the other folks.' And this pretty much explains everything. When it comes to Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013) it is no different, 5 tracks' 5 different songs!

The opener of the disc 'Corrupticus 5' is a country-like-Americana-at-heart song that is also organ driven, quite something. The instrumental 'Surface Raid' is completely weird with Disco orchestral kind of synthesizers and its great guitars. A very good mess.

Then, when one might think that they have listened to enough weird music and they will now follow some pattern 'The Bear' comes along with some latin influence, double vocals and the most twisted riff/interludes ever. And yet the track is catchy and singable. 'JPF' reminded me of the band Pilot with its double riffed Pop guitars. And yes, 'JPF' is more of a Pop song, the 70's kind of well-crafted Pop. That was a time where every song had a meticulous arrangement including the Pop scene and Dreadnaught knows that and went for it with intelligence. Great track! To finish Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013) we have the track 'Trophy Bride' that brings a great bass line and a wall of good guitars. It is a danceable song with lots of stuff happening on the background.

Even though Dreadnaught is not a Progressive band by standard rules you can't put them aside exactly because of that! They have no rules and they want to keep progressing, no matter the way.

Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013) is 5 different bands in the same disc but with unity. Weird, interesting and charged with amazing musicianship. Too bad Have A Drink With Dreadnaught (2013) comes only in a cardboard envelope with no info whatsoever about the band or the recordings.

A great EP for the curious minds that will not settle with only one genre of music. Waiting for their next full-length album now!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

 Musica En Flagrante by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2004
4.46 | 35 ratings

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Musica En Flagrante
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars Dreadnaught's last album to date is a different ball game from anything they released up till now. Musica En Flagrante assures Dreadnaught is one the best bands out there, but still as obscure as an early 70's self promoted Italian progressive band. I'll give them all the credit in the world for reaching so far out and still manage to present us with such a clever and sensitive instrumental work. Where several bands get hundreds of reviews the first week of releasing an album, this one is so forgotten it makes me very sad and frustrated. As a lot of bands follow formulas and releases kind of the same album over and over again, dreadnaught is focusing on how they are going to do it differently, which makes progressive rock definition complete, not only the music is progressive it's also new! something the band haven't yet experienced with, reminding me in spirit of King Crimson.

Their previous album The American Standard is certainly one of my favorite albums to date, and I was hoping they would release something as great, but nothing prepared me for this. As the previous album was rocky, eclectic fusing elements like funk, avant-garde and was quite hard to categorize, this album is fairly less rocky and goes towards more avant realms, accessible Rio maybe, but even harder to pin point. Knowing their discography I would never thought this was the same band, without recognizing their distinct sound. What makes this release sound so different is the inclusion of more evident keyboards than before, violin, sax, piano, harmonica and more. The band's sound is absolutely stunning, bass guitar and electric guitars sounds like no other, they have the crispest sound you could ever wish for, this is actually the band's signature sound and what makes them so fun to listen to, how do they manage to create it? Don't ask me. Guitarist Justin Walton comes with all kinds of schizoid runs and licks, showing you what would have happen if Steve Howe was born in Alabama. Bob Lord also unleashes a captivating sound and is definitely a gifted and an outstanding bassists, reminding me of Les Claypool on meds.

The music never goes in the same road nor travels popular paths, it's quite new and i can't honestly compare them to any band i know, while in the past Primus or Phish would come to mind, now only tiny traces are scattered around, sprouting out here and there. There are 19 tracks here, going through different styles and moods, while maintaining a perfect balance between everything, touching each style in his turn and in the right time. Like I said it's quite hard to define the music and everything I'll say won't even get you close to understand the complexity of the music but i'll try. I can say it falls between avant-garde (nothing freaky), jazz, rock, funk, electronic, chamber and experimental, but they are all too general definitions to really grasp what's going on inside this piece. Each track goes from several mood changes easily, or slides to another without noticing, I love the fact that one moment you are in a quirky rocky interlude and the next you are swept by orchestral breaks, or grooving to the coolest harmonica. While in the previous album I was struck by the phenomenal playing of the trio, now i'm amazed by their progressive writing, for they are not trying to shine at all, relying on their self playing prowess, they give a lot of credit to their hired musicians giving them a lot of space to express them selves. Compositions contains a lot of ideas and the playing is nothing less than top notch. Just check out 'Tiny Machines' which brings to mind The American Standard material, featuring their distinctive quirky playing and very imaginative writing, grabing you tight and not letting you off the train until it's safe. 'Northern Pike' follows this, but shoots you from a cannon to the other side of the scale, at first you don't know what to expect, but they hold you down with their subtle and exquisite playing and when that harmonica sweeps inside, you have to applaud them for they certainly knows the job. 'Big Cats' and'Threnody for the Victims of Brother Theodore' are two more highlights which I fail to describe cause there isn't anything quite like it, incorporating all the elements mentioned before and giving birth to something new. Fabulous really. 'The Sirens of Titan' is a short suite which demonstrates just how diverse and imaginative they can be, playing an avant-garde intro which breaks to a beautiful violin and goes back to the avant through the back door, throwing some beautiful saxophone to the mix and some more violin, you have to hear it to believe it. 'Royal Jelly' ends this ride with a great performance of what this trio knows best, another rockabilly or should I say progabilly excursion of freak out sounds, riffs and memorable playing.

Musica En Flagrante is a modern masterpiece of progressive rock, no doubt about it, and although I would prefer 70's progressive rock just about any day, this band is one of the few cases where I can question this statement. It just has it all from phenomenal playing, great sesibility, varied instrumentation, out of this world arrangements and just about 5 tons of creativity.

it's been too long since the band released anything, so I took the liberty of writing Bob an email, saying just how I enjoy their music and what the hell is taking them so long? he answered me saying thanks, and how hard it's been since he travels a lot and producing other music, but they do visit the studio, he also said and I quote "Know that you are interested will push us! Not enough positive feedback these days..." It's a real shame this kind of professional music does not get the right amount of attention, so if you do not own this, do yourself a big favour and buy a copy. 5+ stars!! a mark i give to very few releases. Thanks.

 The American Standard by DREADNAUGHT album cover Studio Album, 2001
4.38 | 48 ratings

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The American Standard
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars I wish this was the american standard!

Did you know that this masterpiece exist? Where great known bands from each genre here gets their fair share of reviews, some bands are left aside and does not get promoted. I would rate Dreadnaught the no.1 overlooked band here at PA, taking into consideration the amount of reviews they got against music quality. Dreadnaught are not new in the prog biz, 'The American Standard' is their third album and their first to go all the way to heavy funky prog rock town. They are a 3 man totally insane american band who seem to be exploring a niche that no man have gone before, although sometimes remind in spirit bands like Primus or Phish. Their music on this album can be described as avant-garde country funk prog rock ( yes it's a genre now! ). But actually describing their sound and music with words is useless cause it seems they are coming from out of space. Basses and electric guitar sound is totally refreshing, they have that crisp sound of new strings on your guitar only enhanced and distorted. guitarist Justin Walton comes out with some weird noises in addition to some groovy fast guitar licks, he does not have to solo because he's guitar is already doing so much, moving from strange chords to quirky runs, always with such great taste and totally rocky too. Bassist Bob Lord comes out too with sounds from hell, he's playing is always noticeable and is a crucial part of the overall psycho sound, together they are incomparable. Drummer Rick Habib has no problem keeping up with his two buddies and adds some great fills along with the off beat rhythm they are creating.

The music like i said has a southern US feel, very complex and progressive moving from beautiful melodic parts to avant-garde to hard rocking funk stuff and punky outbursts coming from god knows where, everything is well balanced and there is no way to know where they gonna go next, one moment they are dark sounding and the other they are the happiest band alive. The album starts out with Ballbuster which is an accurate title for the nuclear bomb dropped on your ears, a full power high voltage rocky tune that grabs you and doesn't let you go leaving you uncertain of what the hell just happened, and in the same time so intrigued to continue. As good as the opener was it doesn't really prepare you to the next exhilarating, brilliant 20 minute piece, divided into 4 parts that takes you on a journey incorporating all of those styles mentioned before. The piece is very dynamic and holds lighter parts against heavy complex rhythms, reminding you some wacky King Crimson Red era fused with Zappa that will make you drool all over the floor. I mean a band that takes some disco beats and turns them into prog rock got to be special enough. The rest of the album continues in that line taking you on a roller coaster of sounds and intricate out of this world tunes, as they incorporate violin and piano notes just too be sure you are still on the train. Vocals seem to be goofy sometimes but sound good and side by side with the already crazy music. It's interesting that the music has a light feel to it but it's all serious too.

Knowing this album for a few years now makes me realize that i haven't heard something so challenging and invigorating in 20 years ( except for a very few albums maybe ) , while other bands are playing it safe and releases the same album over and over again, Dreadnaught seem to remind everybody what's progressive rock is all about, taking all the risks and coming out with an album full of new ideas and sounds. Every genre has to evolve except progressive rock is a statement taken by the band and crushed to pieces. Being compared to other bands doesn't really do it cause dreadnaught is on their own. Their next album 'Musica En Flagrante' see the band evolve further more and is worth checking out too. This is one of the few albums i would rate with 5+ stars along with other masterpieces of the genre. The very high rating for the album is accurate, an essential masterpiece of progressive rock, don't miss it for the world!

 High Heat & Chin Music by DREADNAUGHT album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2006
4.00 | 4 ratings

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High Heat & Chin Music
Dreadnaught Eclectic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Dreadnaught is an entity unknown for me until I got the promo for this double CD compilation.

With a career spanning more than 10 years now they have to be seen as veterans, and their chosen musical field is one they are pretty much alone in exploring, seemingly. The music is progressive and experimental; but with aspects to the music rarely found in other progressive acts.

Most songs are short; and the progressive elements are numerous changes in pace, style and mood in all songs; as ell as mixing elements from different types of music. The staggering 28 tracks on this CD goes from blues based quirky rock to industrial electronica in style, with influences from indie rock, glam rock and country thrown in the mix. Quirky guitar playing is a central element in all songs, and a chunky hard bass in many.

Musically I'd guess fans of Frank Zappa and similar artists will find this quite appealing; as well as others enjoying music not confined to conventional styles and structures.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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