Dogleg – Melee LP (Triple Crown Records)

Here’s another impressive release from the list of the records that went under my radar during 2020. For some reason, the album artwork looked familiar to me at the moment, but I am quite sure I never stumbled upon this remarkable piece of work. You know that feeling when something appears so familiar to you, but you’re in some state of confusion whether you saw it before on not. That’s what happened to me when I checked out this album for the first time. Melee is an outstanding debut full-length record by Dogleg, a post-hardcore outfit hailing from Detroit that promises a lot of listening pleasures right with the initial beats. This album has seen the light of the day sometime in March of 2020, but somehow I completely missed it back then.

Melee represents an amalgam of complementary underground genres, thoughtfully merged into perfect harmony. This material could be easily classified as a post-hardcore album by some contemporary standards on the underground scene, but Dogleg unveils a lot more with each commencing composition. You’ll notice a strong presence of genres such as emo, indie rock, alternative rock, punk rock and melodic hardcore, combined altogether until perfection. The group continuously levitates between the beforementioned genres with such ease, but the dominant post-hardcore atmosphere remains intact throughout the entire recording. Melee certainly carries a dosage of heaviness, melancholy, mixed feelings, adequately transcribed through passionate performance. The group articulates in some specific manner that simultaneously sounds raw, aggressive, sincere, and meaningful. Melee is profoundly emotive material, performed with so much sense for balance between aggression and melody.

Dogleg included all the possible guitar maneuvers in this thoroughly polyphonous recording. The harmonizations are bursting with a specific melancholic vibe, but all of a sudden may appear as heavy passages to even heavier riffages. The band explores every possible option to enhance already rich melodic structures, which are serving as building blocks of the abovementioned melancholic ambiance. The bass guitar is fulfilling the atmosphere with warm-sounding low-end tones that are contributing even more heaviness beneath the guitar layers. A very delicate drumming performance provides stability through series of precise rhythmic acrobatics, accentuations, and drum fills. The entire group works together like a charm, and I am positively sure you’ll enjoy their tremendous performance.

Everything about this record is meaningful and deep. It carries a specific atmosphere that suits the listening apparatus in every moment you could possibly imagine. Melee is an intelligent piece of work suitable for those who love detailed and exceptionally performed post-hardcore sound. The album comes on vinyl, compact disc, but it’s also available via streaming services. Head over to Triple Crown Records for more detailed information or order vinyl at Banquet Records store.