‘Dream Widow:’ Demonic or weak pastiche?
Here’s a tale you might have heard before: Music blows through the California hills as deadly blood prophecies are realized.
Except the result of this particular murder scene is one band’s debut Metal album.
Following the dance-rock of their 10th album, “Medicine at Midnight” (2021), and the donning of Disco alter-egos for a live-in studio performance of songs from the Bee Gees, the latest Foo Fighters project is drastically different.
This year, setting their sights on film-making, the Rock band that formed in 1994 — from the remnants of Nirvana — birthed a comedic horror film called “Studio 666.”
The film follows ill-fated Metal band Dream Widow, whose front man becomes possessed by a demon and murders the rest of the band.
Decades later, Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl, lead vocals/ guitar; Nate Mendel, bass; the late Taylor Hawkins, drums; and Chris Shiflett, guitar) playing themselves, rent the mansion where the murders took place and Grohl becomes an unwitting victim of the same curse.
An important distinction for Dream Widow’s debut album, which was released, on March 25, via Roswell Records, is that the other Foos weren’t involved.
Grohl was the main composer, and like the Foos’ debut album, he recorded most of the music himself. For Dream Widow’s self-titled work, Jim Rota appears as lead guitarist on the first five songs and keyboardists Oliver Roman and Rami Jaffee make sprinkled appearances elsewhere.
Opening the wickedly heavy eight-song playthrough, “Encino” is a crushing, blistering song that explicitly details a dark ritual. With accentuated tempo shifts, Grohl’s signature drumming comes forth during a pulverizing midsong breakdown.
Including the song “March of the Insane,” both tracks invoke Black and Thrash Metal. The latter’s lyrics, “Life of scorn and malice, misery, torture and dread. Worship the unholy spirit, pray to the God of the dead” are belted out with the fury of an experienced Metal singer.
Early on, its almost easy to forget that you’re listening to Grohl perform his best attempt at a Metal vocal lead. Given that he doesn’t usually occupy the Metal scene, some listeners might reject the album “Dream Widow” as a cheap imitation of Metal and its sub-genres.
Remembering that Grohl is a music enthusiast, though, allows you to consider the album from an alternate perspective: this fulllength effort is a realization of him honoring and upholding the Metal tradition.
In support of that, also recall that nearly 20 years ago, he enlisted Metal pioneers from bands like Motörhead, Celtic Frost and Venom for a Heavy Metal side project called Probot.
Take the song “Cold,” for instance. Its Doom Metal tendencies spill forth like a direct, unholy disciple of Black Sabbath. You can notice Grohl’s instinct for harmony during the repeating phrase, “Cold.”
The track “The Sweet Abyss” mirrors the song “Cold,” but it is admittedly dull. Unfortunately for Rota’s praise-worthy, siren-like, guitar wailing, “The Sweet Abyss” tows too closely to Foo Fighters’ sounds and not the make-believe Metal world that the film and movie invite you into.
A later highlight, “Angel With Severed Wings,” gallops with the energy of Iron Maiden mixed with Doom tendencies from Ghost.
“Come All Ye Faithful,” meanwhile, is again packed with guttural screams, strong harmonies and signature drum fills from Grohl, albeit in the Thrash style of Metallica.
Wrapping up “Dream Widow,” the track “Becoming” ebbs with a stoner-Metal aura. Finally, fans of the film “Studio 666” will rejoice.
Ten-minute instrumental closer “Lacimus dei Ebrius” should be noted for its ambition. For its duration, the song shifts through multiple Metal genres, some of which might be recognized by styles that recall bands like Testament, Opeth and Led Zeppelin.
At one point, Grohl’s movie line explains when he plays his newly discovered, unholy “L Sharp” riff: “If you guys could just like, open your hearts and minds, you know, maybe you’d be able to hear it.”
Considering Dream Widow’s overall strengths and the few dry moments, it might behoove immediate detractors to take the advice.