I've had dredg on my radar for a while, ever since their debut album Leitmotif came out. They have this prog-rock thing going on, but that does not really do their sound justice. They are emotional and dramatic without being melodramatic, they are difficult without being completely inaccessible, and they are above all incredibly melodic. Naturally, their third album is a logical progression of these themes. Catch Without Arms was produced by Terry Date, the producer of one of my favorite bands, the Deftones. I did not consciously notice this when listening to the album, but in retrospect it makes a lot of sense, as these songs tend to meander a lot less than the songs on dredg's second album, El Cielo. Tracks 2 ("Bug Eyes") and 3 ("Catch Without Arms") flow seamlessly from track 1 ("Ode to the Sun"), creating a larger work that starts the album off with a bang and also acclimates you to the vocal stylings of dredg's lead singer, Gavin Hayes. My favorite song on this album has to be track 9, "Spitshine". This song has an incredible melody, in which the music and the vocals work together perfectly. However, when listened to as a whole, it is hard to distinguish any track as bad. While there are a few weak moments, the album is still very good and is worth listening to if you have any interest in newer rock music.
Score: 8/10
Score: 8/10