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Released on September 25, 2015 via Hobbledehoy Records / Big Scary Monsters / Triple Crown Records
It has been over a month now and this album is almost all I’ve been listening to lately. So many notes were taken and so many new things were discovered and that just made it more challenging to write this review. The objective was to write an impartial review and not to sound like a total fanboy, but I’ve learned that it’s impossible at this point. Dust and Disquiet is really THAT good.
The album kicks off with the ‘Separation No. 2’, a beautiful and soothing lead into the first track. ‘Ríoseco’ starts off with an introspective melody until the heavy brooding guitars kick in and things take epic proportions. The beautiful melody follows, which calms everything down again making you feel like you are on the most peaceful place on earth while you hear the soft chimes in the wind and birds singing. At this point we might think: “Is it possible that they top this song?”. Well, just wait and see (or listen).
‘Arcs of Command’ is next. First the guitars, drums and bass fill in every little bit of sound that exists around you. You know something immense is coming. It slowly all comes together into greatness. Close your eyes. It gets under your skin, penetrates your bones. Your mind is blown. This is one of their most intense and one of their best songs ever. It has it all: the build, the melody, the ultra heaviness, the crunchy and chunky guitars at the end… It’s a true explosion of emotions. When we interviewed Philip Jamieson, he told us “When I’m in a fired up mood, ‘Arcs of Command’ really hits a lot of the right spots”. He was damn right! I need to hit pause at this point and have a cigarette. Wow.
‘Echo and Abyss’ is next. The first appearance of vocals. Heavy, dark, intense. Probably the most vocal driven track in Caspian’s history. The beautiful vocal melody before the catharsis is something to die for. Things take off with the screaming vocals, and then calm after the storm.
‘Run Dry’ shows us a different side of Caspian. The band is stripped down of everything except for vocals and an acoustic guitar. Very delicate melancholic and introspective. ‘Equal Night’ is the nice little piano interlude, which gives continuation and introduces the second part of the album.
‘Sad Heart of Mine’ was the first song to be released from Dust and Disquiet. It’s a shorter, more straightforward song. You have to love the dreamy and shoegazy vibe that the keyboards enhance. Having listened to this song out of context is definitely not the same as listening to it over the course of this album. It now make so much more sense.
‘Darkfield’ was the second song to be released. I feel exactly the same when listening to this as I did with the previous song. Its electronic intro leads to a dark, slow and steady build up with pounding drums. Then comes the outburst, the beautiful guitarwork and immense heaviness to kill it off. Caspian are really stirring up our emotions here.
‘Aeternum Vale’, which means “farewell forever”, is a great acoustic intro that leads us to the title track ‘Dust and Disquiet’. The last track on the record is a slowburner and a tearjerker. Sit back and relax. The melody slowly builds up while we listen to some voices in the background. The guitars really do a fantastic job in transmitting a sense of sadness, emptiness, departure and also hope. This is it. This was the great finale. This is goodbye for now, Caspian and I must say: what an epic ending!
It’s great to listen to an album of such dimension where all songs have something different to say and hit all the right spots. It’s risky to say, but this might well be Caspian’s best and most complete work to date. It seems they’ve captured some of their very best ideas and emotions and did a superb job passing them along to the listeners. Dust and Disquiet is one of the most dense, emotional and epic experiences I’ve ever had with a record.
