Dredg--Live at the Fillmore

Rising from Los Gatos, California before they were even out of high school, alternative quartet Dredg follows-up their 2005 Catch Without Arms album with a live recording from the Fillmore. Live is both a greatest hits album and a look into Dredg’s raw live sound. The release features the incredible "Bug Eyes" off their latest album, which sounds even better live with quick guitar riffs and a massive live scope. Also off Catch Without Arms comes "Ode to the Sun," another track with blisteringly fast instrumentals and unabashed vocals from Gavin Hayes: "Please accept / Please accept the sun / It’s all for you." Live albums mostly come off as another way to sell fans the same old songs, but Dredg’s live effort takes their songs out of the comfort of the studio, and they benefit from the raw environment. They continue with "Same Ol’ Road" from Cielo released in 2002, a slower track that find Hayes’ vocals lacking, but the mood of the song carries it through to a strong finish. "Triangle" is the song that most puts you in the audience of Dredg. Tempo changes and a haunting weather-man backdrop grace the song in a way that could only happen in live performances. The album closes out with "Yatahaze" from Leitmotif, a song that not only shows the bands’ strength in song-writing earlier in their career but finds them still playing strong after a nineteen-song set-list. Live at the Fillmore spins a strong new perspective on Dredg’s songs and is a great addition for old fans, and a gateway-drug for new ones.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)