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The Obelisk Radio Add of the Week: Dront, Ozymandias

On the surface, there probably isn’t much about the Swedish four-piece Dront. If I told you they were a new band from Norrköping with a debut demo out that had some vague Graveyard influence, you’d probably punch me in the stomach and say, “So’s everyone, jerk! Now find me something new!” And that’s fair enough. One way or another, I’d probably have it coming. Still, the Norrköping four-piece, who make their self-released debut with the brief Ozymandias EP — three tracks/nine minutes — avoid the trap of retro rock, instead working in influences from punk and thrash to get a garage-type sound that holds a basis in heavy rock, but is bolstered by a gritty edge that most who embark on the mission of analog worship wouldn’t touch.

Again, Ozymandias provides just a small, quick sample, but Dront — guitarist/vocalist Rikard, guitarist William, bassist Therese and drummer Kim — display a nascent songwriting prowess and a deceptively firm grasp on where they want to go as a band. The tones are gnarly, the ideas hardly progressive, but the groove is there as “Afraid to Die” kicks in, and formative as the song is, there’s more melody to it than many would dare include. I don’t know if Dront is the first band for these players, but the bassline after the chorus reminds some of a dirtier Dozer, and the fact that already their songs are so lean — no extras, no frills — speaks well of the genuine nature of their punk influence. They keep it raw. Ozymandias title-track is the highlight of the bunch, reminding directly of the Misfits at their proto-punk best, all brash arrogance and innate shuffle. A slowdown that’s almost eaten alive by cymbal wash gives “Ozymandias” some more nuance than “Afraid to Die,” with an airy guitar lead that nods for just the briefest moment at post-rock before the rush begins anew.

That they’d return to that faster progression instead of just jamming the track to a messy finish says something of their songwriting intent, and even if it’s structured, the vibe is still pretty swinging and loose. Closing out, “Aquatic” is even messier sounding, but ultimately more precise. Vocals are loud in the chorus as they’ve been the whole time, but the rawness of the song, the bass tone and the way the guitar solo cuts through make it an intriguing listen all the same, and for being a minute longer than other of the other two — the closer is a sprawling 3:45 — it doesn’t feel any more inflated than its companion tracks. “Aquatic” ends and the demo ends with an unpretentious final crash, and though it’s clear Dront have growing to do in terms of hammering out their approach and finding the balance between crispness of songwriting and primitiveness of aesthetic, their first outing at least makes that project seem like it would be worth undertaking. I wouldn’t ask anything else of a first demo.

Hear Ozyandias now as part of The Obelisk Radio‘s regular rotation playlist, streaming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or if you’d like a more direct showcase, give it a stream on the player below, snagged from the Dront Bandcamp:

Dront, Ozymandias (2013)

Dront on Thee Facebooks

Dront on Bandcamp

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