Album Review: Dogleg – “Melee”
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
The Detroit-based group, Dogleg, have released an absolutely killer LP titled Melee on Triple Crown Records. The band develops a profound combination of punk and emo with their roaring vocals, intense guitars and rippling drums.
I was very excited to hear this LP after listening to their singles “Fox” and “Kawasaki Backflip” and Melee did not disappoint. The band captures a nuanced sound on Melee, creating an engulfing blend of angst, punk, emo, through terrific songwriting and well executed recordings.
What Dogleg does so well on Melee is genuinely allowing each instrument to hold their own. There’s not a lot of competition between sounds, they all have their place on the track. “Prom Hell” is one of the more excellent examples of that. Slowly introducing each instrument in the first couple of seconds of the song, it creates an amazing build into the intense guitar riffs. The vocals add an extra punch, they build from yelling to screams, creating a brash contrast against the other instrumentals. The way that all of the sounds work together makes for a cohesive track. There’s no gaps to be filled or muddiness to make the track feel too dense. The twinkly guitar during the bridge of the track adds a little breather in between the harsher riffs that a majority of the track showcases.
There’s no lack of influences such as Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and even more classic pop-punk and emo bands. Dogleg revitalizes these sounds and creates something that is unique to them as a band. The track “Fox,” which was previously released as a single really capitalizes on this by opening with fierce, roaring instrumentals on all fronts, then transitioning into these “gang” vocals. The track is packed full of punk energy, whizzing through the track with powerful instrumentals all throughout.
What Dogleg made on Melee is a fantastic collective of what contemporary punk is. The sound is more refined but still holds a candle to the same flavors and attitude that bands before them had. The band truly showcases how much great production and songwriting can elevate a record.
Disappointing/Average/Good/Great/Phenomenal
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Sarah Knoll
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