Reviews for Beyond Colossal...

AllMusic.com

One has to admire the members of Dozer for having the balls to name their fifth album Beyond Colossal, thereby raising fan expectations to improbable heights; but then, Sweden's longest-running stoner rock band (arguably) haven't paid much mind to external forces throughout their career -- or else they'd have switched to death metal or pop music by now. No, Dozer remain committed to their primary musical course, and like other stoner rock stalwarts such as Fu Manchu or Clutch (whose Neil Fallon lends guest vocals on a couple of these tracks), their enduring relevance resides in both maintaining the broad strokes and manipulating the minute idiosyncrasies of their particular sonic recipe, so that it can balance familiarity with fresh perspectives. In the specific case of Beyond Colossal, this entails embarking on what is arguably their heaviest and darkest song cycle yet, although prime examples like "The Flood," "The Ventriloquist," and the really quite beyond colossal "The Throne" aren't exactly depressing so much as wickedly foreboding, substituting hooks and softer contrasts for absolutely crushing riffs and tornado-like vocal howls. Even slightly more melodic numbers like "Empire's End" (which sometimes sounds like a distorted take on Blondie's "Call Me"), "Grand Inquisitor" (featuring a gentle, whispered midsection), and "Bound for Greatness" (a drawn-out stoner rock hymn of sorts) are to a certain extent draped in bleak shades of despair. All this obviously makes Beyond Colossal a distinctly less accessible or immediate listening experience than recent Dozer albums, but their fans will surely be up for the challenge -- and rewarded for their efforts -- in no time.

 - Eduardo Rivadavia
 

StonerRock.com

The new Dozer album “Beyond Colossal” is really moving me. Like their last release “Through The Eyes Of Heathens,” Dozer has once again out-did themselves. Like a fine wine, this band gets better with age. The songwriting keeps building up to a level that most bands can’t accomplish. I am really blown away on how good this new record is.

“The Flood” rocks like an opening song should. Plenty of heavy riffage and great singing melodies alike, Dozer has once again returned with a vengeance. The second track “Exoskeleton, pt. II” was featured on the split “Tour EP” with Iceland’s Brain Police. A great song that formulates what Dozer is capable of. The third song entitled “Empire’s End” picks up the pace again and drives along with conviction. “The Ventriloquist” opens with bass and has a softer touch with more great singing courtesy of Fredrik. The dynamics of these songs are inspiring to say the least. The fifth song called “Grand Inquisitor” reminds me of something off of “Heathens” with the excellent guitar playing and contrasts of light to heavy.

After all, “Beyond Colossal” was recorded by Daniel Liden (drummer on “Heathens” and the first two Greenleaf albums.) He definitely knows the Dozer sound. His ability to produce such a great sounding record says a lot. All of the songs on this release are very good and stand out individually as well. The new drummer is a perfect match for the band. This will be one of this years top albums!

“The Throne”, “Fire For Crows”, and “Two Coins For Eyes” should appeal to all Dozer fans. The last song “Bound For Greatness” is a mellow tune that ends the CD perfectly with good singing and some tasty keyboards. “Beyond Colossal” will definitely be in my top 10 for 2008. For fans of any and all of the Dozer releases, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for sure!!!

 - Mark Richard (Backer)
 

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1. The Flood
2. Exoskeleton (part II)
3. Empire's End
4. The Ventriloquist
5. Grand Inquisitor
6. Message Through The Horses
7. The Throne
8. Fire For Crows
9. Two Coins For Eyes
10. Bound For Greatness