“On the horizon / Far away in the unknown / Wherever you go, there’s now / Pulling you forward / Towering like a shrouded spire / A peak forever out of reach / Rolling down the hill again!” The opening lyrics to ‘Defiance’ speak volume, it tackles the struggles of moving on, looking at the mountains, knowing that moving forward will be tough, but it becomes a start. There’s no denying that no denying that Norway’s own Dim Gray have really kept their spirits up when it comes to the art-rock voyages that leads them into a new beginning.
Their third album Shards, released on Big Big Train’s record label Grim Day Records, is quite the production we are witnessing. Their follow-up to 2022’s Firmament, Shards becomes a structure of this spiritual journey; finding your true self, and reaching out to someone who you hadn’t been in touch with, for a very long time.
The Celtic themes behind ‘Murals’ took me by surprise. With a rumbling beat, joyful guitar structures, shivering vocals, emotional arrangements, and jig-like beats, you can tell that the band know their love of the jig-like orientations that is brought to the fold. ‘Feathers’ feels like that you’re flying into the blue-sky, witnessing various life structures, landscapes, you feel as if you’re inside this dream that you can’t wake-up from.
It has this balladry-like effect from the dance-like structures with its uplifting momentum and sheer beauty with its beautiful designs, coming to life. The loss of a ‘Little One’ hit home. It starts off with a mournful ballad for the first minute and five seconds with angelic wonders before the galloping guitar work and drum patterns sets up the action with rapid momentum.
There’s something about this track where they journey into the world of lullaby land, building up the hopes of returning home, knowing the adventure was worth the ride while ‘Shards from a Broken Clown’ is the spotlight of a clown who made lots of people laugh and children happy with his gags and love, has become a shell of his former self, reflecting the times he once had, has sunk into a sudden loss of crying out for help.
It’s almost as if Oskar Holldorff had written this as a tribute to Robin Williams, a man who made people laugh with his comedy and films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, The Birdcage, and as the voice of the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin. But he had been suffering on the inside and struggling at the same time. When I was listening to ‘Peril’ it nearly reminded me of bands such as Ra Ra Riot and the Arcade Fire, rolled into one.
Dim Gray recruits the fast-paced tempos with guitars flowing back and forth into the void with massive streams of ray coming out of the skies with glowing drum work to get you motivated on the spot. Then, it’s a walk into the heavy snow with the haunting acoustic crisp for the ‘Attakulla’ to appear.
It begins with its folk-like atmosphere to show listeners on where to go before the beams of sunlight comes out of the horizon as the long and winding road heading back home becomes a sign of where the next chapter will take us and how we will recover from the losses we’ve endured. Shards is quite a unique album that Dim Gray has unleashed for 2025. Yes, Oskar has been a part of the Big Big Train family by taking over Carly Bryant’s place, but he hasn’t forgotten his band mates with Dim Gray. And this is the next logical step to see where the next chapter will take them
