An Honest Look at Dogs of Karma’s All Grassed Over
There are several disparate elements working together in surprising unison for Long Island outfit, Dogs of Karma. The Patchogue four-piece fuse punk, hardcore, metal and stoner/Southern influences on their All Grassed Over (Last Resort Entertainment) debut full-length, and though it works as an overall aesthetic – that is, nothing clashes so much as to sound outlandish or ridiculous in a way unintended by the band – there are moments of incongruity brought out by All Grassed Over’s production that are inevitably going to hold some listeners back from being able to fully appreciate it.
Chief among the issues with All Grassed Over is that it is a staggering 77 minutes long. In listening, I basically approached the single-CD release as two albums on one disc, with tracks one through eight comprising one 32-minute record and nine through 16 (!) a second, 44-minute full-length. The split there seems natural owing to the placement of the “Doobinterlude”-esque “Johnny Mushroom,” which provides an instrumental break from the stoner punk-metal before. That’s not the only aspect of All Grassed Over that Dogs of Karma harness from a Down influence. Some of guitarist Chris Norris’ riffs bounce like a sped-up Pepper Keenan’s, and vocalist Dave Bonessi’s yowl isn’t as blatantly derivative, but his scream on a track like “Choke the Truth” or the more purely metallic “The Phantom Being” comes from a similar place in the stomach as Phil Anselmo’s did in his Pantera days. That Dogs of Karma couple this aggressive side of their sound with some blues and (again) punk influence – I’ll be damned if drummer John Papayani doesn’t sound like he was in a Long Island hardcore band at some point in his life – offsets the Down-er aspects, but it’s there for anyone with an ear to hear it nonetheless.
But I’m not going to hold an outfit getting their start taking blatant influence from a successful band against them, especially in this genre. More pressing is the question of the mix, which is thin and underplays the work of bassist Andrew Lohse, instead pushing Bonessi way to the front, much further than the songs require. He’s a capable, versatile vocalist, so it’s not a question of performance, but if Dogs of Karma are going to make an album rife with stoner riffage (even played uptempo as they are), the guitars and bass need to be leading in a way they’re just not on All Grassed Over. Bonessi dominates the mix, seconded by Papayani, who makes some interesting turns in the later portion of the album, but both Norris and most especially Lohse need more presence in their sound. 77 minutes is a long time to sit through a record that’s not mixed right for what it’s attempting sonically. I won’t say it goes so far as to distract from the charm of the tuba/alto sax/xylophone break on “Unraveled,” but for a more straightforward blues rocker like “History of the Dog,” it’s a serious concern.
As “Jump That Wagon” plays out with an “Escape from the Prison Planet”-style Clutch groove, long-after the endearingly knuckleheaded mosh of “The Phantom Being,” it occurs to me that the longer I sit with All Grassed Over, as in, the farther I get listening through the tracks, the less the mixing bothers me, but I think that’s more just my ears getting used to it rather than any change in approach on the part of the band or whoever mixed it (Norris, Bonessi and Joe Cincotta are credited as producers, but no mixing/mastering info is given in the liner for the disc). By the time I’m ready to start over again with “Day Train Blues” following the aptly-titled “Intro,” the feeling that whoever was at the board after these tracks were recorded was unfamiliar with the genre remains. It’s a stoner record mixed like a punk record. I have no problem with Dogs of Karma wanting to blend genres – in fact, I think it’s a noble aim for any band – but there still needs to be a developed, consistent feel throughout the album, and All Grassed Over is missing that.
Still, I do think the band has an interesting sound and I know of few “stoner” bands out there who take their cues so strongly from modern hardcore and do it as well as Dogs of Karma do it here. Next time, though, I’d advise a shorter album, and a serious look at what they’re trying to bring out of their band’s sound before a mix is finalized or a release is sent to be pressed. All Grassed Over has some cool, exciting moments, and I’d expect the band’s live show is energetic and engaging, but though I feel bad for saying it, the record’s strengths are undercut by the haphazard tone in a way that makes me doubt I’ll be coming back for repeat listens anytime soon.
Tags: Dogs of Karma, Last Resort, Long Island, New York, Patchogue
