Self-proclaimed melandelic (melancholic and psychedelic) band Durge’s debut EP has a quality to it that falls somewhere between Alter Bridge and Queens of the Stone Age tonality.
By definition “a dirge” is a mournful piece of music and with its predilection for low, heavy notes and funeral march drum beats, the title of this EP fits that definition expertly. The opening track ‘The Man Who Has Never Seen Snow’ is a slow, dark celebration of the cold and how it heals and seemingly soothes the soul of front-man Mark Ellis.
After that comes the more up-tempo, vertigo-inducing ‘Round and Round,’ and the fatalistic ‘On Call For Death’ before coming to its conclusion in ‘Faithless,’ a song that wouldn’t be out of place on an Alter Bridge album with its myriad of unresolved chords and its militaristic drum beat. “Am I standing in my way?” asks Ellis as he looks for some kind of certainty and direction in his own life, a thematic thread which weaves its way through the entire EP.
“Dirge” is a dark, brooding debut EP that perfectly defines its title. Durge may not find a foothold in the diluted pool of mainstream SA rock, but they will surely gather a small, fiercely dedicated audience.
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Listen to “Dirge – EP” below on Apple Music.
