For my first review, I probably shouldn’t have picked a sludge metal release. Like most others, I have dabbled a little by listening to some Mastodon, Kylesa, and High on Fire, but I could never get into the hazy, grimy, and heavy (one might even say Sludge-y) atmosphere of one of the more obscure metal subgenres.
However, when I first heard about Dune, another factor was responsible for my interest: While I would freely admit I know very little about sludge, I do know about science fiction. For a sci-fi fan like myself, the band name immediately stands out for sharing a title with one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written. Science fiction is not totally unheard of in metal, but very few bands have tried to tackle the very unusual aesthetic put forth by Frank Herbert in his epic science fiction masterpiece (although it was previously covered in Iron Maiden’s underrated Piece of Mind deep cut ‘To Tame a Land’).
When it comes to sludge metal, I don’t think there could be a more fitting sci-fi novel to take inspiration from than Dune. This novel, unlike almost all other great science fiction works, has very little focus on advanced technology, instead settling for organic processes that allow for an aesthetic that is usually more appropriate for fantasy. Sludge metal (and other related subgenres such as stoner and doom metal) almost always forgoes the cleaner and more precise sound used by more mainstream metal genres to allow for a dirty and soulful style which I think reflects the difference between Dune and other sci-fi classics.
Hell, in Dune, the universe almost literally runs on drugs, as if there was any more debate over the bridging of the two!
So now let’s get into the EP itself. Progenitor is a very good debut EP for the band and has many standout elements, although it is not without its flaws. The strengths are immediately apparent with the opening instrumental intro ‘Gravity Signal’, which immediately goes into the first real song, ‘Protostar’. The intro does a great job of building up tension and establishing a sci-fi atmosphere (without the bleeps and bloops that are usually present in less creative sci-fi themed works) and ‘Protostar’ is a fun song that has great sludge riffs that complement an engaging song progression. These two tracks are very well-representative of the rest of the album—and with any luck, for the rest of Dune’s career as well.
Dune’s primary strength on this EP is how well all of the riffs and melodies flow into one another and manage to create ups and downs that any band that labels themselves “progressive” should. But not only do the riffs flow well together within the same song, but all of the songs flow together well too. I can’t help but think of Dune sometimes as trying to make a sludge metal version of what was accomplished by Slough Feg on their landmark sci-fi concept album Traveller, especially how the riffs seem like they were made to complement a story. As stated in interviews, Dune hopes to make a concept album soon, which makes me excited because their music seems tailor-made to carry a narrative.
However, this EP is not without its flaws. Some of the songs (especially toward the end) seem to run on too long and sometimes dip into the instrumental meandering that has been the downfall of many progressive bands. However, if this EP were a concept album, I would be more willing to overlook something like that for the sake of developing a story.
All in all, Progenitor is a great debut EP and offers a lot of potential for refinement and expansion in the following years, and I wish the best to Dune as they follow their golden path* to success.
*I knew I couldn’t make my way through writing this review without dropping in at least one Dune pun.
