D.O.G. – ANTI (EP REVIEW)

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Adam 'Ricey' Rice

D.O.G. – ANTI EP
Released: September 3rd, 2021

Line-Up:

Dominick Fox // Vocals
Charlie Caruso // Guitar
Hunter Young // Guitar
Michael Sichel // Drums
Joseph Fox // Bass

Online:

Emerging from the United States East Coast, D.O.G. turned heads off stage with their debut release titled Mental Destroyer during the midst of the COVID pandemic last year. However, they had more topics to cover and certainly weren’t satisfied having left us with only a few breakdowns. The band have managed to maintain their creative momentum and have brought to life their next release, ANTI. Having recently signed to Smartpunk Records, it seems like everybody’s expectations are high as to what this group will deliver next.

The release kicks off with ‘Ignorant’, low-tuned chugging guitars and higher-pitched unclean vocals, almost similar to Bryan Garris‘s (Knocked Loose) technique gives this song a lot of character, yet I feel as if it overshadows the drum work and doesn’t give Michael Sichel the space he requires to flourish in the song. Next up is ‘Anti’ and it picks up where the previous song left off, the tempo is high and the rhythm is fast. The ebbs and flows of changing timing signatures from the guitarists are outstanding, I find myself on the edge of my seat as I wait to hear more. Just as I thought I couldn’t be more impressed with this track, it concludes with a long, drawn-out breakdown that leaves what is commonly referred to as the ‘stank face’ on my face for a matter of minutes.

‘Street Sharks’ is where we see drummer Sichel flourish, his flair as a musician in this piece is world-class, bringing us double kicks and even a two-step drum beat. The insanely deep unclean vocals introduced in this track adds depths of character and isn’t something I initially thought this track might have needed, but it adds to an already strong offering. We then explode into the EP’s shortest track, lasting only 55 seconds, ‘Fake Patriot’. this song has the highest tempo on the EP. If anything, it seems rushed. I don’t see the benefit of trying to cram an entire songs worth of material into a track that lasts under one minute, it doesn’t give the listener enough time to fully absorb what they are hearing. Perhaps it was a good thought in theory but it just didn’t seem to have worked out in practice.

Returning to the tempo in which this band seems to prosper, ‘Fake Punk’ holds true to the band’s staple sound of chugging guitars and intricate drum work, brought together by higher-pitched vocals which seem to be really in your face, the way it should be. Interesting guitar and synth techniques pull this one together to create a solid track as you near the end of the EP. Politically charged single ‘In Memoriam’ closes out the release. With lyrics focused on issues such as white supremacy and police brutality, this song will certainly leave you pondering the topics long after the EP concludes. This is the first time we hear the band experiment with clean vocals and it is done beautifully. As expected, the band threw in one more mind-blowing breakdown before the EP finished.

D.O.G. has stepped up to the challenge and delivered an incredibly strong release. Their mosh inducing riffs are what gig deprived punters all over the world have been praying for.