You might not expect the city that molded a hardcore culture responsible for acts like Fugazi, Bad Brains, Pagenintynine and Darkest Hour to be well-represented in a genre as mild as psychedelic rock, but Washington, D.C. natives Dead Meadow are one of the top bands in the field.
Defined by blazing, swirling guitars draped over plodding melodies and a hint of shoegaze influence, Dead Meadow’s sound is like a fusion of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Black Sabbath that got buried in smoke and wah pedals. Their latest release, Old Growth, might not reach the bar set by its monumental predecessor, Feathers, but it is still a good album with a fresh sound.
After using the same formula for their first four studio albums, Old Growth abandons some of the band’s psychedelic tendencies in favor of a more straightforward and bluesy approach. This is fortunate because it postpones the stale status the band was approaching, and the new sound is quite pleasant. In addition, the sound is much clearer. Dead Meadow’s older releases had a hazy, medicated sound that gave a very lethargic tone to the music. Old Growth sounds much livelier.
Two highlight tracks are “Between Me and the Ground” and “What Needs Must Be.” Both come off as typical blues tracks at first listen, but these songs pack a punch and contain a lush, expansive quality that almost no blues artist can imitate. This blues/psych hybrid is a sound the band should seriously consider pursuing in the future.
“’Till Kingdom Come” and “I’m Gone” are the best songs on this album. The former features a fantastic guitar arrangement that creates a chilling atmosphere and an enormous guitar solo that sounds strikingly reminiscent of Thin Lizzy. The latter is an unusually straightforward track for Dead Meadow that demonstrates a focus and songwriting maturity that prior releases lacked. In the past, the band would need to wow listeners with mind-boggling guitars, but “I’m Gone” relies on a captivating melody and a well-structured verse and chorus.
Old Growth is a departure from Dead Meadow’s signature sound because it shifts the focus away from psychedelic elements and redirects it toward traditional song structure. Dead Meadow’s initial premise was wearing thin after four albums of the same sound, but Old Growth keeps the best aspects of those releases and improves where they were lacking. This release shows the band is capable of surviving in new terrains and will not drop off any time soon.
