DIONIZE - Lighthouse (Album Review)

Release Date: August 30th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Lighthouse: Tracklisting

1. God Damn

2. Wolf At The Dog Park

3. Lighthouse

4. Mesa Black

5. Shaman’s Vine

6. Drunken Hunting

7. Draconian

8. If An Axe Is An Arm

Members

Adam Farr - Everything

Review

Lighthouse is the new album from Sludge/Stoner Metal Studio Project DIONIZE who merges Grunge, Doom, Fuzz, Groove and Heavy Psychedelics within his arsenal of sublime music. DIONIZE is the brainchild of Adam Farr who describes his music as “LONER METAL”. Though, on the live circuit DIONIZE is a four piece band. Adam Farr is also the Vocal/Guitarist of New Zealand Heavy Metallers Black Alpine.

This record is quite an intriguing record to listen to. As the record was recorded over a four year timespan during the COVID era. As this record touches upon some outlandish and over the top themes that resonates with the classic Stoner Metal sound. DIONIZE uses harsh sludgy melodies with a sinister Grunge tone which branch out into other areas of Sludge/Stoner Metal with Adam’s vocals having a slight SHOCK ROCK energy to them. They remind me of Alice Cooper at times with Adam delivering wild multiple styles throughout the whole album.

Lighthouse can be quite progressive with a few of the tracks running near the six minutes to seven minutes mark. The mood is always engaging with subtle DOOMED OUT and DISTORTED melodic based rock. Some of the ideas that Adam uses within his lyrics remind me of the classic High On Fire album Luminiferous and I mean that as a compliment. 

The music veers from one dangerous style of Sludge/Stoner Metal to a more classic era of Grunge, Fuzz and Alt Metal which leads into the most powerful and engaging albums of the whole record especially on tracks such as: God Damn, Wolf At The Dog Park, Lighthouse, Mesa Black and Draconian.

You’ll be surprised at the different styles of music that DIONIZE ventures into this record with the album taking a few deceptive routes along the way. There’s some wicked amounts of Psychedelic noises and overlapping sound effects which manifests into some classic HEAVY METAL passages that screams 1980’s EXCESS.

Argonauta Records are releasing this album and I can see why Gero signed them to his great label. As this is a kick-ass record that doesn’t stick to the conventional rules of Sludge/Stoner Metal with DIONIZE laying down his own rules of musical enjoyment for people to fully immerse themselves with.

Lighthouse can quite experimental with the added use of digital noises and trippy effects but DIONIZE always pulls out a classic sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal riff that soon expands into a heavier, aggressive and melodic style of music to keep everything sound genuinely exciting whilst leaving you wanting to hear more.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

Lighthouse will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records from Friday August 30th 2024.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDionize
https://www.instagram.com/stankwizard
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

New Zealand Stoner/Sludge Project DIONIZE Unveils Details for "Lighthouse" Album; New Single Out Now

DIONIZE, the solo New Zealand-based stoner/sludge project, is set to release its highly anticipated second full-length album, "Lighthouse," on August 30th through Argonauta Records. Today, DIONIZE is excited to reveal the album details and share the new single, "Mesa Black," which is now available for streaming below:

The album tracklisting and cover art are as follows:

1. God Damn
2. Wolf At The Dog Park
3. Lighthouse
4. Mesa Black
5. Shaman’s Vine
6. Drunken Hunting
7. Draconian
8. If An Axe Is An Arm

Dionize’s Lighthouse is a collection of heavy and melodic stoner/sludge metal, or “Loner Metal” as Dionize likes to call it. And with all instruments and vocals performed by the one man, loner metal is a fitting name for the style of music.

Writing & recording began in 2020 during a time of harsh covid restrictions in New Zealand, and the album has been meticulously crafted over four years to showcase a musically diverse & progressive spin on classic stoner metal.

This album contains Coffin Banging Riffage, Skeleton-Dancing Desert Sludge, Mental Illness, Alien Polyrhythms, Psychedelic Escapes, Skullduggery & Malfeasance, Conspiracy Theories, Reptilian Burial Hymns, Time Travel and Groove-Doom.

Dionize - (Pronounced dye-a-nyze; Rhymes with Dying Eyes)

Adam Farr, better known by his stage name Dionize, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. As a solo artist, Dionize makes stoner/sludge metal with influences of Groove Metal, Prog and Psychedelia; Which he dubs “Loner Metal”.

In the studio, Dionize writes, records, and performs all instruments on the majority of his work.

As a live act, Dionize is a four piece band consisting of some of Auckland’s finest metal musicians, with Dionize himself fronting the band on guitar and lead vocals.

Dionize is an established musician in New Zealand and Australia from being the lead singer & guitarist of Black Alpine for almost a decade. He has also played bass in a thrash metal and hard rock bands, and drums for a glam metal band.

Dionize is a shortened version of the name Dionysus - The Greek God of wine, partying and general debauchery.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDionize
https://www.instagram.com/stankwizard
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for all of the details.