Dust Bolt: Sound & Fury

Album number 5 from German thrash-mongers Dust Bolt finds them in dangerous territory - a space where in hushed tones band, label and fans whisper the word reinvention….

Sound & Fury is the result of this reset, a band who basically liked to thrash their thrash in the thrashingest of ways still handing out the thrashes - amongst other things. Unlike many outfits who used the lockdown times to get their heads down and release 46 tracks a week, a covers album, solo projects and a Peruvian Nose Flute band collaboration, Dust Bolt looked inwards. What were they, why were they and who were they? The response is to craft an album that those who utterly loved what they were doing before will utterly love - in parts - and be utterly befuddled by - in parts.

The safe ground romps at you with the likes of “Leave No One Behind�, even if it has a nice clean vocal in places and bags of melody, while “I Witness� powers along on popping snare smacks and a growl of intent. Where the left turns kick in arrive in the shape of things like the groove-tastic “I Am One� or the strange Rammstein lite of “Disco Nnection�, which is neither disco or thrash - or thrisco for that matter - and neither is it all that good. That it’s preceded by the weird flute scales and dirty white noise of “Bluedeep� might have felt clever during album construction but as a listener it’s a complete waste of one minute twenty-four seconds and the very thing the skip button was invented for.

Odd though it may sound, “Little Stone�, which is a ballad with nary a riff in sight, works better, if you like something along the lines of Brad, while “Burning Pieces� is another groove monster that slides its way into the modern rock/metal scene quite neatly. For me, the main issue isn’t whether I think Sound & Fury is the right move for Dust Bolt but that as a start to finish listening experience (I know, who does that these days other than me?) this album just doesn’t work. The songs aren’t linked, they don’t flow and it’s difficult not to wonder whether the exercise of doing something different didn’t end up being more important that making a cohesive album.

Sound & Fury isn’t bad, it just doesn’t really know what it is and if I was to be a little unkind, it doesn’t really knock any of what it attempts 100% out of the park. And yet, it is still a large dollop of fun, although more in a fits and starts kind of way. Where Dust Bolt go from here I’m not so sure.

Track Listing
1. Leave Nothing Behind

2. Witness

3. I Am The One

4. New Flame

5. Burning Pieces

6. Sound And Fury

7. Love & Reality

8. Bluedeep

9. Disco Nnection

10. You Make Me Feel (Nothing)

11. Feel The Storm

12. Little Storm

Added: June 11th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Dust Bolt online
Hits: 297
Language: english

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