Album Review : Dios - We Are Dios

After their 2004 self-titled debut garnered the LA band some much deserved attention, it was a shame 2007’s follow-up dios (malos) was derided in comparison. It seemed that in between having to change their name – from Dios to dios (malos) after metal veteran Ronnie Dio came creaking after them croaking legal action – and hiring a producer - incidentally Modest Mouse and Shins-man Phil Ek - they had forgotten how to write a good song. Thankfully though, the band have headed back to their home recording studio, the (malos) has been dropped, as has the malaise, and from the ominous opening of ‘Epileptic Tunnel Visions’ it’s clear they’ve dusted off that lo-fi, experimental and spacey ethos that served them so well before.

Truth be told, this is a strange album. On an initial listen it seems lost and fragmented due to constant changes of pace and direction. But like eyes adjusting to a dark room, after a while you begin to become accustomed to Dios’ way of thinking, and start to appreciate their myriad twists and turns and inexplicable sounds. This is experimentalism that challenges without ever being inaccessible.

Take ‘Epileptic Tunnel Visions,’ its dark and moody instrumentation at odds with vocalist and guitarist Joel Morales’ haunting Brian Wilson-esque harmonies. Out of nowhere it bursts from ghostly chants to full bodied, high ceiling guitars - it’s akin to emerging from a tunnel into sunlight. Similarly the only word to describe ‘No Is Wrong’s initially nasal vocals is creepy but before you know it, we’re engaged in a Blur-like downturned plod, then suddenly floating in a tumbling airy vortex that wouldn’t sound out of place on Radiohead’s OK Computer. That would usually be enough tempo changes for any song but there’s one more twist before the end as the remainder of the song opens up, guitars spiralling and stabbing at a much more upbeat train of thought.

Already the strong whiff of nostalgia at play here is impossible to ignore, with more than just a few nods to Pink Floyd and The Beatles circa The White Album to be found in these druggy soundscapes. Even the most straightforward of the tunes on offer here, ‘Stare At Wheel’ channels The Kinks with its bouncy yet broody guitar before descending into foggy haze. At several points throughout it seems Dios have taken MGMT’s dream-like sound by the hand down the same path into an enchanted forest before veering off to an even stranger place.

But after a few listens it’s clear that this album is actually defined by its stranger moments - the impromptu flutters of flute, the bizarre sound of cats mewing on ‘Toss My Cookies’, the abrupt ending to ‘I Don’t Want To Marry You’, the creepy organ and booming voices that intone “Don’t be afraid to die,” on ‘Don’t Be Afraid’.  It’s all been cleverly and strategically placed. Dios are a band who don’t just throw in the kitchen sink for the fun of it and there’s always enough melody and substance going on to suggest that in among the randomness they always know exactly where they’re going.