EP Review: Sunrot "Dialectical"
Album Art by Christopher Eustaquio and TJ Olas
It is an honor to be sitting here writing this review for my very good friends’ Sunrot, the doom/sludge band from Northern, New Jersey (FFO Neurosis, Thou, Amenra). Sunrot consists of vocalist Lex (he/him), Chris Eustaquio (he/him) on guitar, Rob Gonzalez (he/him) alternating between guitar and bass, and No More Dysphoria Co-Founder Alex Dobrowolski (they/them) playing drums. This band means a lot to me for many different reasons beyond just the music. They go through extenuating lengths to make whatever platform they have at the time, to be about anything and everything that’s bigger than them. They always give space and attention to social justice, mental health advocacy, mutual aid organizations, and just about anything else that has to do with growing a community. It’s been three years since Sunrot last released music, which was their debut full length album Sunnata that was truly groundbreaking. Countless shows & tours later, here we are about to wrap up the year with their newest offering Dialectical.
The EP starts off with a 3 minute noise track that appropriately sets the mood to take us into Track 2: Molt (This Feels Like Death). Sunrot has been playing this song live for a little while now, so it’s exciting to hear the final recorded version of it. The opening guitar riff in this song gets me so pumped up. “The songs are about growing, out of pain, out of desperation, out of love, out of curiosity, out of pursuing truth and wanting to be a part of the vast and beautiful universe inside and outside of us. It's about losing your mind only to find out what truly matters. It's about healing.” says vocalist Lex. As the song progresses, the guitars, bass, and drums all find a way to connect to this message & connect to a part of you where you repress the courage to change whatever you’re avoiding in your own life (or maybe that’s just relevant to me and my life right now). In the end, the music is breaking down and Lex is screaming, “Time needs change; Change takes time; Change or die,” which really gets straight to the point. The EP ends with a surprise Guided Meditation lead by Julian Xeer as the band plays softly beside them.
Photo by Jess Rechsteiner