Dwellers – Corrupt Translation Machine
Release Date: 23rd May 2025
Label: Small Stone Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Blues Rock
FFO: Mad Season, Neil Young, Iota, Failure, David Gilmore, Radiohead, Queens Of the Stone Age, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, King Buffalo.
Review By: Paul Franklin
Let’s start with a confession. When writing reviews, it’s usually best to give albums several listens all the way through. Because, as we have all experienced, some you connect with instantly, whereas others take a few spins to work their way under your skin. But, this new release from Dwellers (their first in over a decade) barely made it past the first.
The reason? To sum it up in a few words….
Tiresome. Droning. Dreary. Tedious.
Dwellers play a progressive style of blues rock that unfortunately takes an early dive into a pit of smug self-indulgence, from which it seems disinclined to escape. The press release states that the band are ‘…a distinct creative voice in psychedelia and Americana-tinged blues rock, expressive and vulnerable in ways that heavy rock ‘n’ roll is rarely willing to be.’ Just as being punched repeatedly in the face is something that most people are rarely willing to be.
If there are any great differences in the tracks on offer here, they are so subtle as to be easily missed, especially as you will most likely already be in a semi-stupefied state from the incessant droning vocals.
As ever, it’s horses for courses, and you may enjoy the ‘classic progressivism and breadth in the eleven-minute Marigold (Heart Of Stone) or shifts into the outright tonal crush of The Beast or the weighted push of The Maze.’ Or on the other hand, you could read the comment from guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano – “I could tell you exactly what each song is about, but that would go against the title of the album.” And think (like myself) “just fuck off!”
(1 / 5)
