Release Date: February 22nd 2025. Record Label: Lay Bare Recordings. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Fortress - Track Listing:
1. Two Crawled Up The Mountain - 9:37
2. Human Cyborg Relations - 5:28
3. Carbonite - 7:48
4. Ender - 10:40
Members
Adriaan De Raymaeker - Rhythm guitars
Wolf Overloop - Drums
Erik Heyns - Lead guitars
Jan Greveraars - Bass
Brecht De Rooms - Vocals
Review
Belgian Psych/Doom/Sludge/Stoner necromancers Dorre return with their new album Fortress and the record is a gateway into a new style of abstract heaviness with the band touching upon moments of Post-Metal, Prog Metal, Hard Rock and Gloomy Space Rock. The sound is influenced by the likes of ISIS, Mastodon, Monster Magnet, The Mars Volta and UFOMAMMUT with its highly adventurous and experimental themes which can be quite Avant Garde and Jazz-centric at times.
However, Dorre never loses their precise Doom/Sludge Metal focus with the vocals having quite an aggressive and surreal tone which comes to life superbly within the epic opening track Two Crawled Up The Mountain. With a helpful dose of Psychedelia, Space Rock and hallucinogenic ambient themes that all conjure up moments of paranoia within the lyrics on the early stages of the album.
It’s great to see how Dorre evolved into a band with sublime vocals which is quite different to the instrumental post-metal surroundings they originally started with. Brecht De Rooms adds a cinematic level of storytelling to Dorre’s sound and they’ve added Jan Greveraars on Bass since their last record. Jan’s bass is more ethereal and perhaps fully tuned into a Progressive delivery which suits the outlandish sound that Dorre accomplishes here.
Second track Human Cyborg Relations is a cunning blend of Jazz, Post-Rock, Sludge Metal and Prog Metal that a delicious Tech Metal vibe being added with a fascinating “STOP/START” delivery which almost explores a more “EXTREME” side of Post-Metal before Dorre pull back and play a classic style of Sludge/Stoner Metal that offers the most riff-centric grooves on the whole album. This is perhaps my favourite track on the album as it’s the perfect fusion of Experimental Metal and Straightforward Rock and Roll with moments of first rate Psych Rock passages.
The final two tracks of Carbonite and Ender leans heavily into areas of music played by the likes of CAVE IN, Mastodon and ELDER but with a frantic Jazz Metal atmosphere taking complete control especially on Carbonite. Even at this late part of the album, Dorre are still finding time to experiment, refine and recreate their sound with endless feedback loops, ambient sounds and avant-garde vocals whilst never losing sight of their Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal backgrounds.
The final track Ender is the other standout track with Dorre wisely allowing themselves maximum time of around eleven minutes to play the most out there type of music on the album but one that is perhaps the easiest style of grooves and riffs to listen to on the more catchiest parts of the record.
Fortress is an absolute MONSTER of a record and it’s an album by Dorre to always think outside the box that entertains the listener on a huge level from start to finish. In this type of form, Dorre are simply unbeatable and in a league of their own. With moments of sheer brilliant and devastating brutality, Fortress is a record that deserves to be heard by the biggest audience possible.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Dorre for the promo.
Fortress will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Lay Bare Recordings from Friday 22nd February 2025.
Links