DISSONA - Dreadfully Distinct

DISSONA

EP: Dreadfully Distinct

Genre: Progmetal

Release Date: November 10th, 2023

Country: USA

Label: Earache Distribution

Band Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

Chicago based progmetal band DISSONA (whose name is a portmanteau of the words “dissonant” and “persona”) had fully recorded their third album when the pandemic hit, so they made the bold decision to postpone the release until things would be back to normal. Nevertheless, the need to express musically remained also during lockdown and made them writing 3 Blade Runner-related tracks via Discord meetings, with each song focusing on one character of this special sci-fi universe. The project quickly grew bigger as planned, so on November 10th they won't only share the EP "Dreadfully Distinct" with us, but also round up the listening experience with three accompanying, professionally filmed videos.

Song No 1, “The Prodigal Son”, focuses on the inception and development of the Blade Runner antagonist Roy Batty, and opens with some mystical sounds and spoken news about the appearance of Nexus 6, Eldon Tyrell’s most advanced replicants to date. DISSONA let the song grow in strong waves, building up a dark, suspenseful atmosphere through the cinematic background orchestration, powerful guitar work and pushing yet varied drumming, the story itself is told expressively thanks to an anthemic vocal performance.

"Renaissance" is next, dealing with Rick Deckard’s and Rachael’s sweaty twilight escape from LA, but also the enticing question whether he's a replicant. The music is best described as epic, with many symphonic elements, taking us on this furious ride. The final "Skinjob" is about Agent K from Blade Runner 2049, comes along totally different with a futuristic, electronic sound, and the pulsing beat underlining the striking replicant - human theme.

Since I wasn't yet familiar with DISSONA, this EP was a pleasant surprise for me, offering a consistent concept, wonderfully diverse compositions and great performances from all band members. I'm digging their kind of musical story-telling, where everything seems to be in the right place, perfectly supported by the well-balanced, yet full-sounding production. With the earlier mentioned already recorded album on the horizon, it feels like a good time to dive into their backcatalogue before the new opus will be released, which is highly anticipated now :-)

Written by Katha