Murder and Mystery Pervade Dorre’s ‘Fall River’

Writing instrumental heavy music is no easy task, which perhaps explains why so few metal acts attempt it. The role of a singer in many a band, I dare say, is to work their magic on pieces of a song that have been soldered together, creating a cohesive track out of disparate sections that might sound awkward and clunky if exposed. That’s why I’m so impressed when bands like Clouds Taste Satanic, Bongripper, Major Kong, Weedpecker, Psyrup, Atomic Vulture and a handful of others, can present a composition to their listeners with the confidence that will comfortably hold its own. Many have even transcended the genre by conceptualizing their songs as vivid tone poems that can hold their own against more traditionally scored works.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you a band who has effectively mastered the instrumental metal genre. We first introduced you to Belgian experimental psychedelic doomers DORRE a couple of year back, when the four-piece brought us their full-length debut, ‘One Mic Garage Takes’ (2015), followed by the massive 30-minute track, 'One Collapsed at The Altar’ (2016), writing this about them at the time:

Adriaan De Raymaeker (guitar), Wolf Overloop (drums), Etherik Heyns (guitar), and Andrew Hockley (bass) are downright impressive. The 30-minute heavy instrumental composition is a churning sea that starts tranquil enough, but steadily grows more tumultuous, buttressed by wicked fuzz and gritty downtuned riffs, which gradually become more polyphonic, creating a complex weave of textures that cannot help but pull you into this beautifully tangled web of destruction. For points of reference, think Seattle’s Giza, San Diego’s Deep Sea Thunder Beast, or even the great Inter Arma. There is also an element of calm that one could compare to OM, though the Belgian band always has something more ominous bubbling.

In the interim, the guys served up a substantial split with Denmark doomers Bethmoora, then went right to work on their sophomore album. “After a two year journey of writing, rewriting, sound-searching, recording and collaborating with profoundly talented artists and partners,” Dorre revel, “we can finally say it’s here. We are very proud to be able to present our upcoming full album: a dark and murky sensory undertaking, wandering through the alluring town of Fall River.”

As you might have suspected, 'Fall River’ (2019) is a concept album (my favorite kind of record, if I’m being honest), with each of the six tracks building around the events of the aforementioned settlement. Though wordless, the song titles and the characteristic drama of each alludes to “mysterious deaths, disappearances, and an alleged cult leader,” according to the band. It’s not clear whether the band is referencing Fall River, Massachusetts, which was colonized in 1670 and has quite a twisted history of its own. Regardless, Dorre tells us, “We wanted to bring the emotions of these events into play, each track represents a shard of the spectrum, a glimpse into a troubled mind, a raw feeling.”

Fall River is a powerful, absorbing spin from end to end, with each track holding its own as a single, yet blending together so harmoniously that it feels like the movements of a symphonic suite. Blistering drumbeats welcome us to “Satisfying Sadistic Urges,” which sounds every bit worthy of that ravenous title with its contemporary metal stylings. “Force The Victims” ushers in a strangely melancholic mood, one that suggests uncertainty, perhaps even fear. Once again, Dorre execute the material with conviction that gives the listener certain ground to stand on. “Maximum State of Emotional Arousal” is next, teasing us with the band’s progressive psychedelic leanings, though never evading the sense of the ominous. Violent tremolos underscore the turbulent thematic backdrop, taking us into the heart-quickening fourth track: “The Greatest Amount of Life Force.”

Laura Donnelly from Edinburgh’s King Witch makes a surprise appearance on the penultimate song, “Extracted At The Moment Of Death.” If you have never heard her gloriously commanding singing, you are truly missing out on one of the great vocal talents of our scene. Her falsettos are beyond amazing (afterwards, go listen to King Witch’s monumental album, Under The Mountain, one of my top picks from last year’s releases). I’m so happy that Dorre collaborated with Laura for this one. It adds an important anchor to Fall River that lends additional gravitas to the already weighty numbers that preceded it.

Dorre’s excursion into madness ends with the album’s namesake track, which plays with some unconventional tones and scales that summon a disorienting atmosphere that is at once surreal and urgent. Recorded by Jean-Pol Van Hamme and Thomas Stadnicki at Magnet Studio’s, and mixed and mastered by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer, who combined did a remarkable job of capturing the glorious range of sound, from its most grandiose heights to its basest downtuned depths.

Fall River is the perfect record to thaw out your winter and perhaps make you more open to exploring new music again. The LP will be issued on high quality, 180 gram vinyl, with its first pressing getting a limited edition release consisting of 100 colored albums, as well as 200 black slabs of wax. You’ll soon be able to purchase it in multiple formats here on February 1st. Recommended for fans of Elder.

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Dorre is a four-headed instrumental band with drone, psych, stoner and noise influences out of Leuven, Belgium. The band was born at the Rock Café in Leuven when Adriaan De Raymaeker and Wolf Overloop decided to head up to the attic that Pektop (Adriaan’s former band) used to rehearse. Picking up a guitar and settling behind the drums respectively, noise began to fill the room. Deep, dark, heavy riffs were made and quite possibly enjoyed by several blocks of flats and houses around the building. No big plans were made. One show every year, free beer, towers of cabs and amps, guest musicians joining in the jam.

After several years of this continued tradition, Dorre was asked to play more shows. Obligingly, several small stages around Leuven were played and Erik Heyns joined the steady line-up. Deciding that the time had come to widen the scope of Dorre, a more serious approach was taken to write long pieces of music that incorporated every aspect of each musician. A cohesion of doom, noise, psychedelic rock, blues and stoner was organically formed between the two guitars and the drums.

In 2015 Dorre played a select set of shows as build-up towards an EP release in December. The EP was made and released following a first stint outside of the borders, touring throughout England and Scotland in January of 2016 and sharing the stage with many great bands. By mid-2016, longtime friend and sound guy Andrew Hockley joined the line-up, taking up bass duties for the band. Now, more than ever, Dorre is focused on creating dark, heavy music and playing immense live sets. This year, they will continue to win hearts and expand minds with their most ambitious album yet, 'Fall River’ (2019), releasing independently on multiple physical formats on February 1st, 2019.