Album Review: DREGG - 'No Comment'

Straight out of the Melbourne fishbowl, DREGG are a brand new beatdown/metalcore hybrid keen to cut the chat and get straight to business, as evident on their debut release ‘No Comment’. With five songs, each under two minutes, DREGG keep things short, sharp and succinct.

First cut ‘Riddle Me This’ introduces the listener to the sludgy, heavy sound of the local upstarts, with the clean production allowing the weight of their sound to come through. This introduction gives way to the thrashing ‘Goof Troop’, turning the energy up ten-fold. The song showcases the more traditional metalcore side of DREGG, with the guitar work sounding similar to soon-to-be tour buddies Confession. The track pounds away at a relentless pace before exploding into an enormous breakdown typical of the band's chosen style.

Fast and furious ‘Get Owt’, which gives way to a down tempo change, coupled with rap inspired lyrical phrasing, brings together elements of the old and new wave of heavy music. A final breakdown signs things off. 'No Comment' is consistent, if nothing else.

After a chaotic, wall of distortion, a simple "Fuck" is all that is needed to drive 'Dawg Dayz'. The riffs are crafted to get the masses two stepping into the wee hours. The song takes a pleasing turn in the direction of traditional thrash metal, providing a suitable piece of variety on the record. The highlight of the EP though comes with the song's outro, with the chilling clean lines of Ocean Grove's Dale Tanner adding a touch of darkness to the collective chaos.

'Curriculum Critters' feels more structured than the rest of the preceding tracks, allowing time to develop. A few haunting guitar leads, a final run through of the dark and angry riffs and that’s a wrap.....not before a hidden vocal track is revealed, after a few seconds silence, sending listeners off with anguished screams ringing in their ears.

'No Comment' is a solid foundation for DREGG to build and expand their sound. There is a lot of promise here and every song entertains - there just needs to be more of them!

1. Riddle Me This

2. Goof Troop

3. Get Owt

4. Dawg Dayz

5. Curriculum Critters