Album Review: Dunes - Land of the Blind
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I had the pleasure of seeing Dunes back in September last year at Riffolution Festival, and thoroughly enjoyed their set, so I sort of knew what to expect from the release of their third album “Land Of The Blind”. This is their first with the legendry Ripple Music and will surely set tongues wagging within the stoner rock community.
I found the trio were very much a “heads down, let’s crack on” sort of band when I saw them, and that comes across in the riff laden melodic songs that they play. They channel their inner 90’s desert rock persona’s and have a created an album based on themes such as “anxiety, the passing of time, relationships and the general horrors of the outside world”.
I remember hearing “Voodoo” and “Riding the Low” during that set, and they showed their versatility with some softer elements and thick grooves, and they have songs that get your head bopping about all over the place. It all begins with “Cactus” and it’s a wandering intense sort of song, that really shows you what the band are all about. They then plough into the more raucous “Tides” which sees the tempo rise a few notches and has a decent early riff to make you sit up and listen.
They have a couple of guest appearances on the album, with Nick Carter from legendary Newcastle post-punk outfit Crane, performing a spoken word section in “Northern Scar” which adds real gravitas to another already powerful song, and this goes alongside a slot from High Desert Queen’s Ryan Garney, who they became good friends with when touring together, and his vocals are on the brilliant “Voodoo”.
They have some quality songs throughout the album, with “Riding the Low” probably being the standout, as it takes you back to that classic 90’s sound, all fuzzed out noise and plenty of explosiveness. It’s great to hear the trio of John Davies on guitar/vocals, Nikky Watson on drums and Ade Huggins on bass/vocals, honing their skills and this will enhance their reputation immensely.
The album is completed with “Fields of Grey”, which is another punchy cranked up track that solidifies their sound, with tempo changes and simple composition, and they finish with “Riding the Slow” which is a shortish number, opened by a heavy bass line and has a whispering vocal over the top of another memorable melody.
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