By the time they reach album number three, South Africa’s Dredge the Lethe have stepped away from the symphonic black metal tag that previously framed them. And, in the same mischievous, scene-defining way Venom did with Black Metal – and Death did, well, with Death Metal – they now present Blood Metal not only as the title of this record, but almost as a label for the kind of music they’re trying to make. A diagnosis for a new strain of sickness, one more ailment among many in metal’s underworld.
Whenever we analyse an album, the process becomes personal. That’s why the reviewer’s name sits in the byline, and I’ll be honest: this record didn’t fully click for me until track four, “Triumph Over the Horde”. Up to that point, the sound felt more like instinct than intention. But from the second third onwards, it becomes personal for the band too. This is, after all, their legacy. And once the gears begin to turn, everything starts to fall into place. You hear it in the addictive aggression of “Hekate”, where the guitar solo finally plays the role it was always meant to play from the moment you read the script. The bass develops a real pulse, the rhythm guitars bare their teeth, the voice becomes the final authority, and the atmosphere and tension built by the drums make Blood Metal feel like something that, if it could be made physical, would be wet with blood.
On tracks like “Apocalyptic Dreams” and “Monstrum Tandummodo Gestum”, the band briefly circles back towards a symphonic core, easing the overall pace while balancing everything with a clear sense of character. And yes, they lose me a little here. The six-string chainsaws are gone, along with that urgency that makes you shut your eyes and hold your breath just long enough to let the evil in. The lead guitar is constantly in the foreground, leaving no room to absorb anything else, and that disconnects me from the world of Blood Metal. Still, they deserve credit for refusing to stay in a comfortable lane. It’s feral. It scratches when you touch it; at times it’s downright abrasive.
Thankfully, “Maledicta” steers us back towards what this album does best: an experimental spirit that, at its strongest moments, leaves you wanting more. It gives us the past of the legends, the sacrifice of those keeping the flame alive in the present, and the future of those yet to come. This is a metal band that loves making metal. They know how to make metal. And if they ever get the chance to descend deep – and I mean, really deep – into that creative well, then maybe, just maybe, the fourth album will be a more holistic journey: better paced, more fully realised, and designed to push us, one by one, into the abyss.
Listen to the title track, “Blood Metal”, below:
