Colorado progressive black metal/doom/whatever outfit Dreadnought followed the 2022 release of their latest album, The Endless (review here), with coast-to-coast US tour, and in addition to celebrating that record — indeed a worthy cause — the band will mark their 10th anniversary with this jaunt along the West Coast and the Midwest, what one might think of as the Rocky Mountain circuit instead of the Appalachian circuit. In any case, I’ll happily tell you from experience that if they’re in a place where you either are or are going to be, that’s a gig worth attending. Not only are they stylistically unto themselves at this point, but they destroy live and a catalog-spanning set sounds like even more of a good time.

If you heard The Endless and you’re down with Dreadnought‘s particular take, then you’ve probably got all the info you need to move onto the list of dates, so I won’t keep you. If you didn’t hear the record though, I’ll remind you as a friend that you have nothing to lose by checking it out on the player at the bottom of this post. Worst that happens is it’s not your thing and you go listen to something else. Best that happens, I guess, is you end up going to a show. It’s pretty rad when that happens.

From the PR wire:

DREADNOUGHT ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES WITH IZTHMI AND IMMORTAL BIRD

Denver, progressive metal outfit DREADNOUGHT are set to co-headline their TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY TOUR with crust, black-sludge band Immortal Bird hailing from Chicago IL, with support from Seattle-based atmospheric black metal 5 piece Izthmi. Although this is DREADNOUGHT’S first tour since their August, 2022 full length release of critically acclaimed album “The Endless”, (Profound Lore) expect to hear songs from their full catalog.

About the tour, DREADNOUGHT vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Kelly Schilling shares:

“This year marks the decade anniversary of our first album release! To celebrate, we will be performing material that spans our entire discography, from ‘Lifewoven’ through ‘The Endless’.”

Full list of tour dates can be found below.

TOUR DATES
7/20 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive *
7/21 Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon *
7/22 Las Vegas, NV @ Dive Bar *
7/24 Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand *
7/25 Albany, CA @ Ivy Room *
7/26 Crescent City, CA @ Enoteca *
7/27 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark *
7/28 Vancouver, B.C. @ Wise Hall
7/29 Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club *
7/31 Bozeman, MT @ Labor Temple
8/2 Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s
8/3 Minneapolis, MN @ Mortimer’s +
8/4 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club +
8/5 St Louis, MO @ Red Flag +
8/6 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle (matinee) +
8/7 Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern +
8/8 Asheville, NC @ Fleetwood’s +
8/9 Atlanta, GA @ Bogg’s Social +
8/11 Houston, TX @ Black Magic Social Club

* with Izthmi as support
+ with Immortal Bird co-headline

More dates are TBA

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Dreadnought, The Endless (2022)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Kelly Schilling of Dreadnought, BleakHeart and Morningstar Delirium

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’m a musician, composer and performer. I was introduced to music at a young age, piano lessons, music in school etc., and latched onto metal as a young teen. I was inspired and impressed by the massivity and culture of heavy music and eventually gravitated towards playing guitar. Going to shows was always so inspiring, I knew that music would be my forever home.

Describe your first musical memory.

My earliest musical memories are of listening to early ’90s “boy bands” and “girl bands”. I remember making up dance routines with my friends to the Spice Girls and Britney Spears for example. Christina Aguilera was the first concert I went to, I don’t remember what age, but I was very young. Aside from that, I remember taking piano lessons as a kid and hating practicing, which is funny to think about now.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

It is tough to pick one musical memory, but some of my best memories are from going to concerts when I was a young teen. My friend and I would wait in line for hours prior to the show in order to solidify a spot front and center. I remember everyone on stage feeling so giant and otherworldly and I loved rocking out during their performance. It definitely led to what I do today.

Years of touring have also brought me a plethora of wonderful memories and I’m incredibly grateful to be able to travel and perform with my bandmates.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I think there are many instances of being tested throughout life. I feel as if every time I get frustrated I am being tested on my kindness and patience, towards myself and others. I try my best to give others the benefit of the doubt and try to not draw conclusions too quickly.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Artistic progression can lead to a greater understanding of oneself, to an understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses and how to best use ones strengths and improve upon weakness, or when to ask for help. It can lead to a deeper connection with the world and people around us, and a deeper connection with oneself.

How do you define success?

My relationship with success has taken different forms throughout my life. Success has often meant the completion of a goal, of something that has not yet been obtained and then acquired. But I also think success is having gratitude for what one has already accomplished. I think there is a balance between chasing goals and having gratitude for the present. Otherwise success can become a carrot one is always chasing. I still fall into this trap, but try my best to not get lost in wanting more.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

In the grand scheme of the world I wish I didn’t have to see so much hate and suffering. I wish we could rise above the dark sides of our human form and build an existence that allows everyone to flourish.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I really love sad ambient piano music and would like to explore more with writing in that realm. I always have ideas for solo work, but that will come when time allows. Hopefully more work with Morningstar Delirium in the future too. I’d love to take classes on various crafts, such as jewelry making, painting, and ceramics, so when time allows I’ll explore some new creative paths.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I think the most essential function of art is connecting to people and building community. Visual art and music for example are a language in itself that can connect people beyond words, by doing so it bridges language gaps, allowing many around the world to connect who otherwise would not be able to speak. It reminds me that we are all connected, experiencing many of the same emotions despite our different circumstances.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Autumn time with my partner, halloween, crisp air, the color changes and all that comes with this magical time of the year.

http://www.facebook.com/dreadnoughtband/
http://www.instagram.com/dreadnoughtdenver
https://dreadnoughtdenver.bandcamp.com/
http://dreadnoughtband.bigcartel.com/
http://dreadnoughtdenver.com/

http://facebook.com/bleakheartband
https://www.instagram.com/bleakheartband/
https://bleakheart.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/morningstardelirium/
https://morningstardelirium.bandcamp.com/

Dreadnought, The Endless (2022)

BleakHeart, Dream Griever (2020)

Morningstar Delirium, Morningstar Delirium (2021)

When it’s not busy being both at the same time, Dreadnought‘s fifth full-length, The Endless, is alternatingly beautiful and destructive, the Denver progressive-black-metal-and-then-some outfit weaving genres together toward an individual expressive purpose in craft and reach. It is comprised of six songs that don’t quite run directly into each other across two vinyl sides (three tracks per), each leading off with the longest piece for its half followed by two shorter cuts, so that “Worlds Break” (8:28) and “Liminal Veil” (9:09) are responsible for leading the listener into and through an atmospheric procession winding enough to make one wonder at times if there’s a path underneath at all, but guided by skillful enough hands that the answer is always yes.

Guitarist/vocalist Kelly Schilling, bassist Kevin Handlon, drummer Jordan Clancy and keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Vieira — recently replaced by Emily Shreve — have precious little to prove at this point in their tenure. A decade from their inception and nine years out from their 2013 debut, Lifewoven, they are able to bring “Worlds Break” from the mountain folk of its beginning build through post-metal lushness into scathing, volcanic aural char and ultimately into something that is neither and both and definitively Dreadnought‘s own as much of the record that follows will continue to be — hanging chimes and all — whatever whiffs of influence one might get along the way from Isis or Enslaved, Alcest, or any number of post-rock acts, jazz cats, classical pianists and so on that I’m nowhere near cool enough to know.

That their expansive approach is unified at all is impressive; it was on 2019’s Emergence and 2017’s A Wake in Sacred Waves (review here) as well, but there’s a shift in production in The Endless that pulls Clancy‘s kick down in the mix and feels less directly tied to metal than was the last album. Pete de Boer at World Famous Studios in the duly mountainous Breckinridge, Colorado, produced, mixed and mastered, and the resulting collaboration seems to adjust the balance between fluidity and impact so that as far as “Worlds Break” goes, it never feels any more disjointed than the band wants it to — when the album’s first scream and surge hits at 2:52 into the opener, that shift is supposed to be and to feel sudden, for example — and the aurally poetic rhythm that backs the melodies in the guitar, bass, keys and shared vocals between Schilling and Vieira on “Midnight Moon” is hypnotic without feeling overwrought.

Likewise, one might find throughout that some of the most intense moments aren’t necessarily when they’re blasting out throatrippers and accompanying squibbleriffs, but as with the bassy midsection of “Midnight Moon,” that beginning stretch of “Worlds Break” and the slowdown finish for side A in the title-track that will find a correspondingly doomed complement in side B’s aptly-named capper “The Paradigm Mirror,” it is the tension in their builds, the sometimes manic interplay of (largely clean) vocals and the dynamic nature of what they do that makes The Endless hit as hard as it does. It is a record you feel physically as much as you hear, and even in its moments of release — “The Endless” slowing down for an echoing-scream roll and wash that gives way to residual guitar drift — the ambience is taut.

In itself, that might seem unlikely, but it’s essential to Dreadnought‘s approach here, and it allows the band to continue exploring with sound as they make their way through the linear course of their material, introducing staticky synth at the outset of “Liminal Veil” to answer Schilling‘s vocal belting and the avant garde weighted guitar strums, atmosphere central but not at all void of emotion. “Liminal Veil” has more breadth in its nine minutes than many bands do in their entire career, but the same could be said of “The Endless” before it, which is about half as long, or the penultimate “Gears of Violent Endurance,” which follows.

As side B unfolds, the second of its three tracks brings The Endless‘ most immediate and outright blackened thrust, but refuses to be tethered just to that, turning to airy, progressive strum for a verse before digging back in, hinting at thicker tonality, then breaking altogether as Vieira and Schilling harmonize a capella to introduce and Opethian guitar figure and lead into the triumphantly melodic build of the song’s second half, not quite embodying the violence of the title but perhaps the aftermath of those gears’ grinding, immersive in a way Dreadnought aren’t always willing to be but consistent in its will to serve no gods stylistically more than it serves the interests of its own craft. That is to say, Dreadnought have an idea of who they are as a band and they’re no less able to work against it as with it and still carry their audience with them.

It is important to note that, as with any kind of extreme music, that audience needs to be willing to go. The Endless is not without its sense of challenge, either for the band challenging themselves or for their challenging their listenership to keep up with them. But the return on the investment of repeat visits is significant, and just as “Worlds Break” brought an encapsulation of what was to come — a closer’s summary slotted as the opener — so too does “The Paradigm Mirror” end the album with an underscoring of the plan that’s been at work all the while, and not just in the return of those chimes (which have been peppered here and there en route), but also the heavy post-rock wash of guitar and keys through which Schilling‘s voice cuts over a beat stark enough to feel reminiscent of Author & Punisher, a final lyric about howling at the moon leading into the last minute of wash, the chimes, and various other mountain-woods-lost-to-time communions.

Progressive music can take any number of forms, and The Endless reminds that something harsh can also be inviting. Those woods, while gorgeous, can surely kill you. Still, the command Dreadnought wield over their songs and their ability to convey uncertainty without actually being uncertain ensure that the chaos is thematic without hindering the delivery of the material itself. Something so dug in and its-own-thing is never going to be universally accessible, and there are likely those with whom The Endless won’t resonate, but in its force and fragility, coil and strike, it is cohesive to such a degree and of such a scope that it can only be called the work of masters.

Dreadnought, The Endless (2022)

Dreadnought on Facebook

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Dreadnought store

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Profound Lore Records website

Profound Lore Records on Facebook

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Profound Lore Records on Twitter

Not sure as to the accuracy of the photo above, as Denver soundspanners Dreadnought posted just a few days ago about bringing second guitarist Ryan Sims into the lineup to help them bring their new material to life on tour with Elder and Ruby the Hatchet later this summer, but it’s nothing if not atmospheric, and so too is the new streaming track “Midnight Moon” that you’ll find at the bottom of this post. That song, which runs a bit under seven minutes long and is thus a perfect lead single for Dreadnought, runs between doom and post-black metal with a keenly directed ambience, thoughtful vocal arrangement, and affectingly wistful close.

The album is available to preorder on CD/LP/DL though Profound Lore — vinyl to be out later this Fall; hazards of the age — and though I don’t see it on the list of dates below, Dreadnought had previously confirmed they were playing Psycho Las Vegas, and I’m perfectly willing to assume that’s happening. What follows here isn’t even a press release, really. I just snagged the info off Bandcamp, but it’s got the info you need just the same, which is song and the preorder link. Aug. 26 is the release date.

Here you go:

DREADNOUGHT – The Endless – Profound Lore

Preorder: https://dreadnoughtdenver.bandcamp.com/album/the-endless

For their fifth full length “The Endless”, Denver, CO genre-defying progressive metal outfit DREADNOUGHT present their most spellbinding musical feature yet. With riveting vocal performances, ferocious grooves, and soaring synthesis, the quartet offers a familiarity to the melodic awe of previous records “Lifewoven” (2013) and “Bridging Realms”(2015) as well as the dark complexities within “A Wake In Sacred Waves” (2017) and “Emergence”(2019), but with a beautifully fresh perspective in writing, production, and performance.

At its inception in 2012, Dreadnought’s four members, including guitarist/vocalist Kelly Schilling, drummer Jordan Clancy, bassist Kevin Handlon, and keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Vieira, strove for a project laser-focused on creativity and exploration, pulling from all aspects of their musical backgrounds to craft something exciting and unique. Joining in the common ground of extreme metal, the quartet explores a blend of prog, doom, folk, jazz, classical, black metal, and post rock.

Thematically, “The Endless” departs from the familiar abstract of Dreadnought’s first four albums and dives into a relatable character arc about the human divide of light and suffering. It is an overture to the complexities of the proliferation of life, exploring the trail of choices that shape our world and our lives. It invites the question, can we overcome our nature and make higher minded choices to better humanity and our planet? Or are we lost in a never ending cycle of shadow?

The album opener “Worlds Break” begins in a post-apocalyptic landscape, heeding our need for guidance in the direst of times. “Midnight Moon” leads the listener in trance, through depths of manipulation and fear. As we reach the title track “The Endless”, lush textures and crooning vocals place us among the pits of despair, shock, and loss. “Liminal Veil” offers a vast landscape of celestial drones and enthusiastic grooves, while “Gears of Violent Endurance” reminds us of our primal nature through great ferocity.

In reaching the album closer “The Paradigm Mirror”, the dust begins to settle yet a great tension remains, inviting us to reflect upon vicious cycles of the human experience and how we can escape them.

Tracklisting:
1. Worlds Break
2. Midnight Moon
3. The Endless
4. Liminal Veil
5. Gears Of Violent Endurance
6. The Paradigm Mirror

Produced, mixed, and mastered by Pete de Boer at World Famous Studios.
Artwork by Reza Afshar.
Design by Shane McCarthy and Kelly Schilling.

Dreadnought w/ Elder & Ruby the Hatchet
8/3 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
8/4 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
8/5 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Funhouse
8/6 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
8/7 Charlottesville, VA @ Championship Brewing
8/8 Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House
8/9 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
8/10 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
8/12 Houston, TX @ White Oak
8/13 Austin, TX @ The Ballroom
8/14 Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips
8/16 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
8/17 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
8/18 Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Swim ** Elder only **
8/22 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
8/23 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
8/24 Seattle, WA @ Substation
8/26 Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
8/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Catch One
8/28 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
8/31 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
9/2 St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
9/3 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
9/4 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary
9/5 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
9/6 Montréal, QC @ Les Foufounes Électriques
9/7 Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti
9/8 Portland, ME @ Geno’s Rock Club
9/9 Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
9/10 Boston, MA @ Middle East / Downstairs

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Dreadnought, The Endless (2022)