Poseidon

Dagoba is a band that I really, really want to enjoy, but they simply never live up to their promise. A lot of comparisons are often made between these Frenchmen and Sybreed, and while both bands are struck from a homogeneous mold, Poseidon is certainly a difficult monster to nail down regarding both substance and overarching vision. While you gotta hand it to these guys for purporting a more atypical thematic for the genre that knee-jerk reaction would group with acts like fucking Alestorm, the music within never lives up to the eclectic, out-of-the-box appeal of the narrative.

To dissect the pattern prevalent here, "Dead Lion Reef" does a lot to typify the general approach Dagoba seems to have all but settled on going forward. For one, the keyboards lend a more organic, cinematic feel to the music as opposed to the ersatz, Deus Ex sound scape most bands boasting the industrial tag feel the need to push. The ambiance evoked is often very atmospheric, which at the very least serves as a cool counterpoint to the scattershot riffs and busywork percussion courtesy of the long-tenured Costanza. A rather appropriate comparison could be made to Mechina, but Dagoba always puts equal (if not more) emphasis on the riffs, which becomes both a blessing and a curse depending on the juncture. Issues begin to rise during most of the verses, during which Oymyakon generally serves to bore more than anything, his distorted, overloud bellowing siphoning most of the atmosphere away and making Poseidon feel modern in less enviable ways. Occasionally he tosses some cleaner tones into the mix, which are always welcome and help add some lasting power that is sorely lacking elsewhere. The chorus of "Degree Zero" is a decent example, what with the way the subtle keyboard melody ties into to the vocals proper. Certainly an enjoyable tune.

The other side of the coin isn't nearly as pretty, regrettably. Due to the aforementioned adherence to their own hallmarked tropes of varying potency, a number of songs like "Columnæ Herculis" and "I Sea Red" are just sort of there. Occasionally you'll get a rather spirited fill or cymbal-flutter courtesy of Costanza alongside a decent bobbing groove, but on the whole the music is far too intense and without the wherewithal to slow down and catch it's breath. Dagoba tries catching up atmospherically with a couple of instrumentals like "Ha Long" and "The Horn Cape" (the latter of which is actually a highlight), but on the whole it is too little too late in Poseidon's case.

While there is nothing here that absolutely revolts me, Dagoba seems far too comfortable coasting at their own measured pace, occasionally throwing in some scant keyboards whenever they feel like it. The formula certainly has some promise, but it isn't necessarily driven to it's full potential on this one. For those interested enough, the middle of the album contains many of the most appealing individual passages, and while a number of these tracks like "The Devil's Triangle, "Degree Zero," and "The Horn Cape" will certainly make my repeat list, I can't necessarily chalk Poseidon up as a collective success.