Troglodyte Dawn - S/T (Self-Release)
By Michael Ballue
July 18, 2005

This is to the best of my knowledge the debut release from Troglodyte Dawn (great name!), the brain and soul child of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Randy Michaud. I’ve seen this referred to as doom on the net, but to my ears, excepting the presence of some elements of that genre in a few songs, that would be a serious misnomer. Hard rock, doom elements, a healthy dose of classic rock, soft acoustic sections and even a rare burst of punk energy are to be found. The unifying thread is not musical style but rather lyrical orientation . . .

And it’s that lyrical orientation that defines this disc. Heavy rock has certainly had Christian content in the past, including outside the “Christian Music” scene (Trouble, Place of Skulls etc.), but rarely in this unmitigated a fashion. Though to some that may present an immediate turnoff, I’ll not count myself amongst them. For me it’s the genuine passion, honesty and integrity that count. And from perusing the lyrics and listening to this disc, I get the strong feel that all those are present and this guy is actually a real Christian at heart.

On to the music. As mentioned above it’s a conglomeration of styles. Best tracks for me being “Fallen World”, where the Sabbath heritage shows in the crunchy, fuzzy riffs bolted to a solid song framework and the stand out combo of “Lust” & “Look On the Cross”. “Lust” is a very well written tune that comes in on some semi-doom riffing transitions into a faster paced, punkish mid-section and then back into the doomy riffs until it crosses into “Look on The Cross” with a piece of stunningly effective spoken word. “Look on The Cross” is a far softer number, but very heavy on the feeling, bringing to mind the emotionally charged nature of Pink Floyd in their hey day, albeit with a more hopeful focus. Just a great and moving transition from “Lust” and it’s highly personal disclosure of dark struggle.

The drawbacks for me start with the production, rather raw and low budget to be honest, which at times works against the guitar sound, but occasionally, as in the guest guitar solo from Andrew Flake on “Fallen World” highlights the raw organic beauty of the music. The consistency in caliber of songwriting also wavers, with the weaker tunes sort of dwarfed in the shadows of their brothers. I was personally a little bummed that the aboriginal vibe of “Dood”, wasn’t more fully developed, the Didgeridoo was raising expectations with fond recollections of Kate Bush’s “”The Dreaming”. I’m tempted to include the respectful parody of Sabbath’s “After Forever” here as I have mixed feelings about that, but given that they’re still mixed after a few listens, I’ll refrain from comment.

If honesty, heartfelt passion and good music are your basis for your audio judgments and your taste in styles has breadth, you’ll find this an above average release, worth checking out. If you’re Christian, you really need this.


Email Troglodyte Dawn at trogdawn@cox.net