One Listen Review
1st Listen 10 Sept 26
Reviewed 11 Sept 26
Dreadnought – Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light
Vesperian
Released 11 Sept 26
Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light is the 6th album by Colorado outfit Dreadnought, and their 1st since 2022. The band are purveyors of a mighty blend of progressive metal, fused with folky elements and a subtle hint of doom loitering about. To be fair, there is also a bit of death metal hiding in the background, all of which makes for a very interesting listen.
Another reason for this to be an interesting listen is the fact that it is only 6 tracks long. Normally, for a progressive band, this would mean you are listening to an album lasting over the hour, but Dreadnought spare you that. Clocking in at exactly 40 minutes long, Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light, jumps into your bed, rattles you about a bit, then leaves you like a cheap whore.
Crucial to the album is the incredible vocal performance of Kelly Schilling. This lady has a range to die for, be it glass-shattering high vocals, ‘Serpents of the Moon’ demonstrating this, or deep growls, ‘The Twilight Protectorate’ for these. The range is magical, at times being reminiscent of ‘80’s’ pop star Kate Bush, although I doubt that Kate could do the growls – perhaps Wuthering Heights may be an even better song if she could.
Schilling is not on her own, however. A number of tracks see Ryan Sims providing male vocals, often reacting to the female. Again, these range from clean to growls to great effect.
Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light is not merely an album highlighting vocal skills. Kevin Handlon provides a number of excellent bass runs, ‘Aeonwar’ has a groove to lose yourself in – in fact, the bass dominates this track, but allows the others to express themselves, especially with the urgent guitar work. Consistency is the name of the game for drummer, Jordan Clancy, but he really shines on ‘The Archive’ managing time-signature changes and channeling his inner Danny Carey. Now, I’m not saying he didn’t work as hard as the others…. but Clancy is the only member not contributing guitar to the album. Slacker!
Dreadnought are an experienced band and Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light is a culmination of this experience. Whilst it won’t change your world, there are enough aspects in the album that will attract fans of most metal genres. Outstanding vocals stand out in an intriguing album that requires your attention.
The DevilsHorns 
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