There’s some mighty good shit coming out of Scotland. At least in so far as this review is concerned. The shit (with horns up of course) of note is Aurora Majesty, the two-song EP by Edinburgh’s Dune on newly minted Scottish label Sea of Corruption.
Dune’s previous effort, Progenitor sounded to this writer like aggressive desert rock mixed with sludge elements. Sort of like a band such as 60 Watt Shaman or The Mighty Nimbus rolling across the sands like Kyuss. And while the quartet has evolved into a different beast, one can hear touches of what’s to come.
So the majesty (appropriately enough), of Aurora Majesty came as little surprise then. “Into the Traveller’s Halls” carries much more weight than anything on Progenitor. It’s much doomier with structure-toppling riffs wreaking havoc alongside virtuosic guitar work and gnarly dual vocals from guitarist/vocalists Dan Barter and Victor Vicart.
Instead of rolling like Kyuss, Dune channel a Mastodon influence with complicated guitar lines and an epic feel balancing power and nuance. The sound is massive and full, enhanced by the rhythm section of Simon Anger and Dudley Tait on bass and drums respectively.
“Of Blade and Carapace” follows up with no less grandeur. A brief build up leads into a romping riff and propulsive percussion. Barter and Vicart are at their best here trading off vocal yells and roars while getting their prog on during the instrumental passage. There’s lots of lead work on this that goes down smooth and raises up the whole.
In just over the six and a half minutes of this track Dune work through a number of parts – all epic – with seamless flow and an ever forward push. Kylesian/Kyussian tone can be heard but Dune are forming an identity all their own through outstanding musicianship and engaging and epic songcraft.
Between the two releases, Dune is poised to start making a name for themselves. Their high octane sludge, stricken with sci-fi themes and invigorating epic scale inspired by the greatest sci-fi series ever (Frank Herbert’s Dune) hits the listener full on. Aurora Majesty sounds fully realized with excellent song writing, brilliant lead guitars and muscular rhythm section. But considering the steps made between Progenitor and this EP one can only speculate as to which realms Dune will travel on their forthcoming full length. One thing is for sure, Dune are creating music as addicting as the spice melange and the spice must flow. Long live the Kwisatz Haderach!
