Problem With Dragons
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Problem With Dragons

Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2007 | INDIE

Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2007
Band Rock Doom Metal

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Starquake Album Review"

Problem With Dragons. So what type of band would you think would call themselves this? Pagan Metal or Power Metal. That's what I thought when I a friend of mine recommended them to me to check out. I thought he was having a laugh at my expense. Though it turns out the joke is on me as Problem With Dragons is a brilliant Sludge/Stoner Metal Band who have just released their debut album - Starquake. Another thing that almost turned me off this band as I thought the album was named after a Transformer or something.

Joking aside - Starquake - is one of the best unexpected surprises I've had in a really long time reviewing albums. As I didn't know what to expect from this album. What I got was a loud and violent exercise in heavy riffs with a very dangerous addictive edge. Problem With Dragons sound is very hard to describe. Parts Stoner, Sludge, Punk, Hard Rock, Doom, Grunge Classic Rock, Heavy Metal and Prog Rock. This is a band who knows how to defy musical genres and give it the middle thing it richly deserves.

Opening track - Wizard Mode - is pure heavy destructive rock and roll in it's most purest form. As the band branch out into pure punk based Stoner Rock carnage with hints of violent psych rock being beating up in the corner just for the fun of it. The vocals are more of the clean based variety though you can hear strands of in-your-face punk rock waiting to burst out. Shades of digitized sounds provide a more rounded experience as the band project a sound that feels it's almost coming to life. It gives you a brief glimpse on what to expect for the rest of the album.

Second track - Starquake - is the albums standout track - 9 mins of distorted Hard Rock/Metal vocals lead the way for an exciting Sludge/Stoner/Space Rock journey that feels like the music that Mastodon should actually be making themselves for their last few albums. Problem With Dragons create a rich tapestry of different noises and riffs where it can be very hard to keep up with at times. When the band start adding Over The Top distorted vocals you feel the album turning into a more sinister progressive metal affair. That's one of the albums strengths as it changes it's identity without a care in the world. It shouldn't really work but Problem With Dragons pull this off with conviction and style. The band even finds the time to add a creepy ambient synth sound to leave you feeling someone is watching you from afar.

Third Track - We Have Us - carries on the frenzied and schizophrenic affair with the band focusing on both style and substance. It's more of a straight-forward Sludge/Stoner Rock song with the riffs being interlaced with a Thrash style sound and the vocals feel that they're being projected from a different world or universe. It's to the bands credit they're not afraid to take risks on their debut album and to show people there’s a lot more to their music. The lyrics can be very hard to work out at times. My advice, just sit back and enjoy the crazy ride. It will be easier in the long run. Fourth track - Sideways - has a more classic grunge feel though it's still crazy as heck. It's one of the albums other standout tracks as the band once again pack so many insane and great ideas that had me questioning what am I listening to. The only answer I could come up with was - a brilliantly written debut album that demands your full attention.

Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal is the main key here as the band lay down some of the albums most impressive riffs and vocal delivery. The twin delivery of the guitars and vocals has a slight Thin Lizzy/Mastodon kind of vibe but still maintains the crazy and twisted vibe of the band itself. Other songs for the band to confuse and delight you with include the remaining four tracks - Something, Atomics Part 2, Ground Zero and Both Hands as the band unleash more stunning riffs to slay you with.

Ground Zero and Both Hands will probably impress the most on the 2nd half of the album as Problem With Dragons are not going to let this album end without a fight. The 2nd half of the album sees the band venture more into Psychedelic Rock/Metal territory. It's still a noisy and exciting experience as Starquake is an album you will be listening to for days on end. Problem With Dragons maybe a very hard band to categorize but Starquake is an essential album to own. If you want something exciting and original in the land of Sludge/Stoner Metal then you will find this album very hard to beat. Brilliant!!! - The Sludgelord - Steve Howe


"EP Review"

A reader just turned “us” (me) on to stoner rock trio Problem With Dragons and I’m really enjoying their 2012 EP Atomics. Hailing from Easthampton, Massachusetts, these guys deliver fuzz-laden anthems in manageable 3-4 minute chunks.

The EP opens with “Wanting,” catching the listener with a doomy hook almost immediately. That guitar riff builds gradually, joined by pounding bass and a chanting vocal line. The song sets the stage for what follows on the rest of the album: straightforward, rockin’ lines that are just “out there” enough not to get boring.



Title track “Atomics” reflects a strong grunge influence, with repeated lyrics that are at times Cobain-esque — and I mean that in a good way.



“Space Duel” ventures into the stoner metal arena, alternating rock riffs with gallop picking and guttural vocals. And “Failures” benefits from thoughtful arrangement and a subtle chorus that contrasts with the song’s heavier parts.





Closing track “Toast” is the EP’s longest and its most philosophical. Who is watching us from above? How will humanity end? “Ours is not to question… Ours is not to understand… None shall be spared…”



Problem with Dragons is embarking on a West Coast tour next month and I’m sure they’ll leave an impression on audiences. If it sounds this good on my couch, imagine what it’s like at midnight with a beer in hand! - Alternative Control


"SJ Metro"

Coming from the fertile Massachusetts metal scene, Problem with Dragons combines punky, fuzz-laden stoner rock riffs, sludge-filled bass, droning doom metal vocals and science fiction-based lyrics to create perhaps the trendiest metal band in recent memory. But the trio manages to transcend the buzzwords, creating a holistic brand of hard-driving rock & roll that invites easier comparisons to Motorhead or early Metallica than Mastodon or Pallbearer. Consider the outfit a version of The Sword with more street-cred, expressing the time-tested themes of heavy metal through the latest aesthetic rather than mindlessly trend-hopping. They’re pretty loud too. - www.sanjose.com


Discography

'Failures' EP, 2008

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Bio

Coming from the fertile Western Massachusetts metal scene, Problem With Dragons combines punky, fuzz-laden stoner-rock riffs, sludge-filled bass, droning doom-metal vocals and science fiction based lyrics to create perhaps the trendiest metal band in recent memory. But the trio manages to transcend buzzwords, creating a holistic brand of hard driving rock & roll that invites easier comparisons to Motörhead or early Metallica than Mastodon or Pallbearer. Consider the outfit a version of The Sword with more street-cred, expressing the time-tested themes of heavy metal through the latest aesthetic rather than mindlessly trend hopping.

Band Members