Dionize – Lighthouse
Release Date: 30th August 2024
Label: Argonauta Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Sludge Metal.
FFO: Crowbar, Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity.
Review By: Paul Cairney
11 years after the debut album, one-man stoner/sludge wrecking crew Dionize have released Lighthouse. Whilst you sit and consider whether 1 person constitutes a ‘crew’, my argument carries on with the fact that this guy, Adam Farr, is a seriously talented individual who is about to release a seriously high class album.
Dubbed ‘Loner Metal’ by Farr, using the stage name Dionize, are purveyors of superior stoner/sludge metal with influences of Groove Metal, Prog and Psychedelia. The upshot is an album that hits home with (almost) every track.
Facts.
It is 8 songs long, lasting just shy of 43 minutes, so not long at all. The longest track clocks in at over 7 minutes and the shortest is a mere 2 minutes 25 seconds. It never drags (nearly) and there are some seriously extremely high moments. Opening track ‘God Damn’ and ‘Draconian’ are personal highlights, but the fact is you will find your own.
There are aspects of psychedelia that loiter in a few of the tracks, but there is always an underlying riff, or vocal run, or bass run that allow the song to expand itself into the world. Nothing is off limits to Dionize, there is no fear in the songwriting, giving the listener a decent way to absorb Lighthouse.
The only disappointing aspect of the album is the closing track, ‘If an Axe is an Arm’. It is by no means a poor song. It is actually captivating, and it envelops you into its intensity. The only issue is that it ends the album. Even as the penultimate track, it would suit the album better as a whole. Its psychedelic predominant nature leaves you wanting a ‘normal’ Dionize song to finish.
I’m not angry, I am just disappointed.
That quibble aside, Lighthouse is a fascinating and enjoyable listen, with deliberate heavy fuzzed riffs that scream ‘fuck off’ in the most pleasant manner.
Check it out.
(4 / 5)
