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Album Reviews : The Dali Thundering Concept – Savages

By on February 23, 2018

This was one of those albums where I had to stop for a beat or two, ingest and get my head around it a little more, before I set proverbial pen to paper to review it. There is just too much going on here to do justice to in just a few sittings.

The very first thing that attracted me to this album when it was suggested to me was the fact that The Dali Thundering Concept are French, and as I’ve stated ad nauseum over the last few years, French metal has exploded in quality over the last decade or so, so when a French progressive band’s new concept album came my way I jumped at it.

And boy, was I not disappointed. As previously stated, Savages is a work of immeasurable depth, in a musical and lyrical sense. Firstly, it is brutishly abrasive, heavy and yes, savage where it needs to be, the grooves are twisted and deep, but get your head bobbing away furiously at the same time. The music is complex, with liberal use of odd timings, complicated arrangements and twists and turns galore.

Then there are the sojourns into other, seemingly disparate musical forms, electronica (Cassandra), jazz and jazzy chillout (Demeter), spoken word, female vocals and more. Closer We Build the Past even reminds one of the great Devin Townsend with its quirky grandiosity.

Musically, this album is a head-spinning ride into the warped and imaginative minds of its creators.

Lyrically, Savages is an in-depth concept album that makes a bold, dark and shattering statement about the state of our race and the planet we live on, about the dangers of climate change, regressive populist politics and the abuse of power, and the rampant inequality inherent in our societies.

Obviously, the next question is, it’s all well and groovy to pack so much intricate detail into an album, musically, lyrically and imagery-wise, but does it all actually work? The answer here is an emphatic YES. This band knows exactly what it is doing, and is completely authentic in everything it presents to the world.

Savages is a dense, deep and thought-provoking concept piece from another visionary French heavy act, and is an early pick for album of the year. Yep, it’s that damn good. Check it out as soon as it drops, but make sure you give it a number of listens before you pass judgement.

Band: The Dali Thundering Concept
Album: Savages
Year: 2018
Genre: Progressive Metal / Djent
Label: Apathia Records
Origin: France

About

Rod Whitfield is a Melbourne-based writer and retired musician who has been writing about music since 1995. He has worked for Team Rock, Beat Magazine, themusic.com.au, Heavy Mag, Mixdown, The Metal Forge, Metal Obsession and many others. He has written and published his memoirs of his life and times in the music biz, and also writes books, screenplays, short stories, blogs and more.