Album Review

Dreadzone – Eye On The Horizon

• 26th Apr 2010

‘Eye on the Horizon’ can be summed up in one simple word: amalgamation. There is more fusion, integration and blending on this album than you can shake a stick at, which makes it hugely diverse, surprising, witty and wonderfully entertaining. Whilst there is certainly a definite style to the album, each song weaves in and out of differing emotions and attitudes which means come the end there is a real sense of balance.

Dreadzone take no time warming up; after all, if ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ it’s best get going in the here and now. This track kicks off gently, if with slightly mysterious undertones. The lyrics quickly set about bolstering you up and putting you in an optimistic, appreciative mood for the rest of the album; it’s almost as though this song is sitting you down and treating you to a cup of fruit tea in anticipation of the main event to follow.

The next couple of songs make excellent use of borrowed phrases, including Soft Cell’s classic ‘Tainted Love’ and, unusually, the Osborne’s ‘Changes’ (regarding the latter, I much prefer Dreadzone’s take on the song!). ‘American Dread’ makes excellent use of a spoken word sample in the form of a speech made by the now antiquated folk singer Woody Guthrie, who asserts “I’m out to sing songs that will make you take pride in yourself.” Within the context of the song, and indeed the album as a whole, this is far from a hollow statement, and this song in particular, with its sampling of ceremonial music, is hugely stirring and it soon proves itself to be a real motivator.

‘My Face’ is more of a classic reggae/ska track, rich in brass with a far slower, lazier beat. This song boasts one of the most poetic lyrics from the album, “like a ghost in a machine I fade away”. It’s fairly open to interpretation, but interpret you certainly will! The penultimate track, ‘Walk Tall’, is beautifully melodic and wonderfully uplifting. The acoustic guitar coupled with lyrics such as “there is a dream of a better day” stand you in good stead for the closing number, ‘Just Let Go.’

As difficult as it may be to ‘Just Let Go’ of this astonishing album, Dreadzone guide you through the release through a collage of glockenspiel sounds and images of rainforest plants opening in the morning sunlight (at least that’s what was going on in my head!), casting you into a calming, gentle, warming mood. The layers build up so gradually that it’s almost undetectable until the climax, which comes midway through the song before settling down and sloping off gently to a string of optimistic mumblings.

The phrase “feel-good” is grossly overused with regard to albums, and it’s one I often hesitate to use as it’s so rare to find an album which genuinely leaves you with a prolonged feeling of joy and serenity, as ‘Eye on the Horizon’ truly does, but this album is one hundred and one per cent feel-good gold.