[Cover artwork by David Dubenic]
It’s tempting to call Dissona a passion project. Based in and around Chicago, they’ve been making progressive metal for more than 15 years, outlasting the tides of misfortune and disappointment, including the pandemic cancellation of what should have been a breakthrough tour. They’ve kept the original band together and independently released two albums and an EP in that time (as well as a raw and weird debut LP that the band has distanced themselves from but that this writer enjoys very much), all high quality and each the clear product of a tenacious artistic spirit, as reflected in both tremendous talent and, perhaps more critically, a relentless drive to develop and grow as a band.
There’s a few things to notice up front about Dissona’s sound, particularly on Receptor. First, it’s cinematic, thanks to production choices that yield a big, full soundstage, imparting depth and breadth that invite full immersion, especially on a strong system or headphones. Second, it’s dynamic, brimming with energy that highlights every facet of the music through variations in time, tempo, texture, and intensity. Finally, the music of Receptor feels both futuristic and of the past, suggesting a story that exists outside of time. This last aspect is relatively new for Dissona and something Receptor shares with the 2023 EP, Dreadfully Distinct, the theme of which centered on the internal experiences of Bladerunner characters. It’s a subtle yet critical turn to something new and distinct from what had been remarkably creative progressive metal built, nonetheless, on familiar bones.
The way Receptor’s songs are written, they can appear to be deceptively simple, so much so that a cursory listen will miss much. For example, it’s perfectly accurate and fine to observe that the album-opening title track begins with some keys building tension up to the introduction of guitars and drums. And yet there’s so much more happening there, even in just those brief opening moments. The essence of Dissona’s new approach, what could be called a retrofuturistic atmosphere, is fully and firmly established in those first moments of the album: the keyboard sounds are synthesized with an ethereal air and ring out alongside the subtle voices of an emulated choir and the tolling of iron bells. That juxtaposition of new with old sounds allows for a massive soundscape and gives the music so much depth, the songs so much room to explore.
The song structure on Receptor most often seems pretty straight forward but, like laminar flow, there are irresistible dynamics within, relentless forward energy, though always with a sense of purpose, as if that flow is intentional. And, if one allows oneself to be swept away in atmospherics and thematic cues, it might feel like a wormhole, connecting ideas that don’t normally coincide. This otherworldliness is a key feature of Receptor. There are moments throughout the album’s 57 minutes in which a listener may find themself enveloped by a dark, glistening world of strange shapes and sounds, peculiar forms and abstract biology, an invitation to which is extended visually by the album’s artwork and conceptually by its enigmatic lyrics, both created by vocalist David Dubenic.
Though guitarist and electronics wizard, Matt Motto, is the primary songwriter, Dissona is a band whose members make the music as a collective, an arrangement reflected in a diverse array of influences. Listeners will notice hints of Leprous, Anubis Gate, and Zero Hour (and other Tipton brothers projects), but also probably any number of other prog metal, death metal, and traditional metal bands, not to mention artists from jazz, electronic and ambient, and classical backgrounds. Most importantly, while all these influences are there and identifiable in discrete moments, the culmination of their impact on Dissona’s developmental process is a sound all their own and a wonderful instantiation of the band’s name, a portmanteau of the words “dissonant” and “persona”.
The dynamics so critical to the experience of individual songs extend across the album, as well, each song bearing a distinctive style, even as it’s kept anchored to the underlying prog metal frame. “Suffuse” features exotic, Middle Eastern guitar and synths, which are ubiquitous in heavy metal and so run the risk of feeling cheap or hackneyed, but Motto treats them as integral to the song rather than as a feature, so that it feels authentic and yet still as if emanates from somewhere in space or from the future. Brief electronic interludes offer respite at strategic junctures. And every song on Receptor features an electronic emulation of some classical sound, from harpsichord to pipe organ, but also of some modern sounds like techno beats and bass drops, all furthering the retrofuturistic vision in the context of dark, heavy progressive metal. Motto’s lead guitar work is at once technical and soulful and, though deployed judiciously, his solos can be awesome when emphasized, on “Weaponized,” for example, where his notes fly like sparks against the night sky, and are particularly effective next to the organ sections around them.
Even in a (sub)genre filled with great singers, vocalist David Dubenic’s talent, impassioned style, and energy set him (and, therefore, Dissona) apart. As distinctive as he is, Dubenic does remind of other great singers, including Sylvain Auclair and Daniel Gildenlow and sometimes Mike Patton or Einar Solberg. He’s less eccentric on Receptor than on earlier albums, but retains impressive range, dynamics, and expressiveness. Several songs here and in the past pair Dubenic with a female vocalist, sometimes in tandem, sometimes in support, where he excels in these contrasting and complementary arrangements.
With so much going on and at a nearly constant clip, it can be difficult to discern individual performances. Not that instruments lack definition or are lost in the mix (Receptor is beautifully mixed), but that there is almost always at least a few different layers of sound active at once and quite often several, and that within each layer there is almost always a busy rhythm or melody, sometimes making its own way, often intertwining with another. And yet Receptor always feels cohesive, due in no small measure to the grounding presence of Craig Hamburger on bass and Drew Goddard on drums. The battery’s rhythmic foundation is as clearly delineated as it is complex, like a blueprint or machine schematic that yet has an organic quality like honeycomb or a pulmonary or venous network, extending that sense of alien morphology.
Receptor’s only real weakness comes ironically as a function of one of its great strengths: the considerable emphasis on Dubenic’s vocals, though well-deserved, means diminished attention to comparable talents among the other members. This is especially apparent in the album’s nearly 14 minute midsection, including “Haimatox,” effectively an electronic interlude, “It Will Drown,” which doubles down on the “modern” prog metal vibe and, despite its killer swingin’ groove, largely relegates the band to supporting role, and “Chimeric,” in which the band is literally absent, save for Motto’s electronics/synths and a haunting viola. To be clear, these songs are good and two feature amazing vocal performances from Dubenic, (“Chimeric,” in particular, is a masterfully evocative performance), but shifting the band to the edge of the spotlight for such an extended period leaves the listener wanting compared to sequences before and after that find space for each facet of the band to shine so brightly.
Ultimately, Receptor is a major win. This is dark, dynamic, progressive metal that defies the confines of what even that unconventional subgenre tends to impose. Through 11 songs over nearly an hour, countless variations on the core style even within songs, a diverse array of atmospheric embellishments, and all the ebbs and flows and twists and turns of first class musical storytelling, Receptor never loosens its grip. And Dissona achieves this with a clear confidence, making the most of their many and varied strengths, not the least of which is that uncompromising drive to make kick ass heavy metal.
