Dimesland – “Dying Foretold” (Stereogum Premiere)

Dimesland- Dying Foretold

Dimesland – “Dying Foretold” (Stereogum Premiere)

Dimesland- Dying Foretold

Want proof that this world ain’t a fair place? Consider the case of Oakland, California’s Dimesland. You may recall this state-of-the-art metal act from September’s edition of The Black Market, where I credited the band as a close spiritual successor to the long-running prog-thrash unit Voivod. I stand by that comparison and would add another remarkable band to their lineage: the avant-death metal band Atheist, whose combination of incredibly frenetic rhythms with loose-limbed jazz swagger also constitutes a big part of Dimesland’s musical vocabulary. The Atheist influence is especially audible on “Dying Foretold,” the second single from their upcoming full-length debut Psychogenic Atrophy. (You can hear the first single, “Are They Cannibals?,” here. Though it runs for just under three minutes, “Dying Foretold” provides more substance than a lot of entire metal albums do — a dizzying fret-tapped intro heralds a maze of riffs that sound like ’80s Metallica being sucked through a black hole. You could lose yourself in these contorted chords for days, but the jaw-clenching impact hits you on the first listen.

Here’s the unfair part: Dimesland are self-releasing Psychogenic Atrophy for lack of label interest. With all due respect to the efforts of metal-label A&R folks everywhere — y’all are fucking up. I was lucky enough to see this band do its thing in San Francisco in early October, and they are indubitably the real deal. Ponder the injustice of this world while streaming “Dying Foretold” below.

Psychogenic Atrophy will see a digital release on 12/9 via the band, with CDs and LPs to follow.

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