Eclectic style works for Dredg

The more I listened to the CD, the harder I found it to compare Dredg to another band. The group has an eclectic style, with each song seeming to have completely different influences. \nInterestingly, this follows the liner notes perfectly. Rather than doing the conventional thing and putting lyrics in the liner notes, the band wrote a story, with each song representing a part of the story. And as the hero of the story moves around the world, the music seems to take on characteristics of the corresponding area.\nThe first two tracks are hard and fast, similar to Incubus in some aspects, but then it mellows out until track seven or so. Track four, "Traversing Through the Arctic Cold We Search for the Spirit of Yuta," features a lengthy piano solo. Track seven, "Movement III: Lyndon," goes metal, and then by track eight, "Penguins in the Desert," the band moves into a more techno-oriented style, somewhat akin to Nine Inch Nails.\nWith all of these changes, it is really hard to pin Dredg down to a genre. Each of the 10 tracks comes at you with a complete change in style. The last track, "Movement V: 90 Hour Sleep," sounds like a good Cure riff.\nThe band didn't give any personal information anywhere in the liner notes, either. There isn't so much as a picture of them, which is a rare thing these days. It's as though the music just materialized one day in its plain brown packaging with its fresh near lyric-less sound. So people who are really into lyrics might not want to get this album. \nBut if you like good quality rock and don't mind not being able to sing along, this record is a good buy.