Due to the pressures of “real life” (exam marking, coursework, etc.) I’ve fallen behind on reviewing quite a few releases that you really need to know about. On the cusp of its release, here’s a very brief rundown of what’s just about to arrive from British metal stalwarts Dendera.
Their 2013 release The Killing Floor still rates as one of the best independent albums I’ve ever heard. Easily as good as a comparable Iron Maiden album with songs, music and production every bit as good as the Dickinson-fronted behemoth. Dendera have changed in the intervening decade, though, and their sound contains a few more twists and turns throughout Mask of Lies. Harsh vocals join Ashley Edison’s trademark clean ones, and the music itself just seems grittier and more angry.
That’s not to say that they don’t do “huge” any more. Recent single “Fading” which you can listen to below is about as close as they do to the older material, and features a plethora of sounds, yet it’s still obviously a new beast. Contrast it with “Guiding Light” which begins with a far more brutal intro and an incessantly heavy beat throughout and it seems that Dendera have spent the last couple of years learning how to hit and strum things a lot harder.
Mask of Lies is definitely related to the Dendera of 2013… but it’s a more solid, and more angry beast.
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Mask of Lies is out today, June 14th
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