By Jason Coldiron
What started as a side project has become the main dish in the California rock scene. In December, 2011 a group of musicians came together from five other bands looking to create another outlet for their artistic expression. Hailing from bands like Skinlab, Deconstruct, Colma and Ratchet, the men went into the lab to do what had to be done. Jump ahead a year and half and skip over a couple of lineup changes and a million hours of their own hard work, Dedvolt sits poised to stake claim among today’s rock giants.
Having recently completed a West Coast tour playing with Nonpoint and others, the band recently made available their first EP “Let it Burn.” They hope to release their’ first full-length album this summer, with a huge (and top-secret) fall tour coming to support it. That should give many more people the chance to see this amazing band live for the first time. In the meantime, let’s talk about the new EP, which covers a lot of ground in just three songs.
First, there is, “Circles.” This is a song that has already gotten some local radio play and absolutely crushes crowds when played live. The song starts with the spoken lyrics, “take what you want but not more than you need” as the guitars begin to chug in behind the singing. The groove is established quickly and the only possible future outcome for the listener becomes bobbing your head to the catchy, heavy groove. The slow chuga-chuga continues and absolutely rocks. The song might bring the most power when it gets to the absurdly played guitar solos. Then you hear the influences of bands like the Deftones and Tool, as the guitars create moody soundscapes, twisting and guiding the listener through a paradise of transient existence. Eventually, singer Brian Giguere jumps back in to the mix to help close the song with some well-timed screams, drawing the power of the music to one isolated cell as the song ends.
“12 Years” gives Giguere a chance to show off his vocal chops, alternating beautifully between some screams and fully sung big vocal parts. The drums (courtesy of Joel Slusser), in particular, provide the perfectly timed slams and blasts that accentuate the vocals, which in turn accentuate the guitars. There is some serious songwriting going on here. Probably hundreds of hours of it behind this song. And it pays off huge with this solid, if unspectacular, song.
Speaking of spectacular- the last song on the EP is the title track, “Let it burn.”
Ever go to a concert to see one of your favorite bands play and after the show you have a conversation with a friend that goes something like, “yeah they were great… but who the hell was that band that went on right before them? They ripped the place up!”? That band is Dedvolt and the song that is going to stay in your head long after you leave their show is, “let it burn.” That is the experience this band provides… until sometime soon when they are the headliner everyone is going to see. Why is the song awesome and what is the big deal? “Let it Burn” is a powerful rock song, with a huge hook that sticks in your head… basically forever. Starting with a guitar explosion, leading to a mind-rattling scream and running from there, this song is about as good as rock gets. A verse or two pass and then the haunting hook of the chorus hits and the listener realizes what the big deal is- this song fucking rocks! A few chants of, “let’s burn it down” raise the excitement even more. It all boils over at the end as the guitars electrify the room and, “let it burn” rings through.
As awesome as this EP is, it hardly does justice to the live show that Dedvolt puts on. That is why I can’t wait for the full album this summer and hopefully a big tour in the fall.
All the pieces are in place for Dedvolt and it looks like the rest of the year is going to be huge for them. I don’t know how high they will go, but I can’t wait to find out. In the meantime….
LET IT BURN!
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Felony1
Release Date: February 2013
Track Listing:
1. Circles
2. 12 Years
3. Let It Burn
Links:
facebook.com/dedvolt
twitter.com/dedvoltdedvolt
reverbnation.com/dedvolt