CD Review: Dogsoldier “EP”

The Artist: Dog Soldier

The CD: EP

EP is the four-song recording debut of Dog Soldier, one of the Kanawha Valley’s most dynamic rock bands. Notorious for their high-energy shows, the band has managed to channel some of that energy into this four-track sampler that shows off their powerful musicality with four original songs.

The EP opens with “House On Wheels,” which shows off the musical DNA that Dog Soldier shares with Led Zepplin, though the song is thoroughly contemporary, one can’t help but notice the vocal similarity between Dog Soldier’s charismatic lead singer, Justin, and Robert Plant. The rest of the band, Jody, Nathaniel, Scott and Wood, back up their front-man with equally impressive chops.

The next two songs, “Christmas Song” and “Come Clean” can be seen on Radio Free Charleston (and in the case of “Christmas Song” at the end of this review) and both are powerful amalgams of classic and alternative rock. The remarkable musicianship and amazing vocals almost threaten to overshadow the very intelligent lyrics. Dog Soldier is a thinking man’s hard-rock band.

This CD closes with “These Days” a wonderfully understated near-ballad that shows off the lyrical qualities I mentioned above. It’s a great example of how Dog Soldier manages to blend guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals and poetry into what can best be called “art rock.”

This debut CD shows an incredible amount of potential. Dog Soldier is already a well-developed creative unit capable of creating memorable and important music. At four songs, this taste of the what the band can do is all-too-brief. We can’t wait to see what they have in store in the future.

Dog Soldier is also an amazing live band. You can catch their two-night stand at the Blue Parrot, headlining January 30 with Sonic Tonic and opening January 31 for Civil State. They will have this EP for sale at the shows. The cover charge will be five dollars each night. You can hear samples of Dog Soldier at their MySpace Page, and check out their appearances on Radio Free Charleston and below.

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