Dredg has been at work on its fourth studio album for over two years now. So it makes sense that the first line describing The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion on the Los Angeles rockers recently released press release announcing the album says the following: “Aggressive and beautiful, visceral and thoughtful”. After all, the former for a decade now, and the latter, well, at least when it comes to thoughtful, I’m not sure what else one was to expect after two years.
The press release goes on to describe the Matt Radosevich-produced followup to 2005’s Catch Without Arms as a combination of “punk aggression and metallic complexity,” or more specifically, “a sound that brings together the artistic instrumentation, haunting vocals and emotional intensity that is Dredg.” 
However, that’s not to say The Pariah is your protypical rock album. Oh no, explains the band:
Inspired in part by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the 6 Billionth Citizen,” Dredg capture the madness of the modern world, particularly its battles over religion and science, within a musical missive to the future. Fittingly, The Pariah is packaged and constructed like a letter, its songs and instrumental interludes connected by eerie, evocative Wurlitzer piano-and-voice segments. Diverse and textured, these intentional imperfections allow some of Dredg’s mellowest recorded moments to mingle with some of their harshest.
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Got all that? Fortunately, you’ll have a couple months to prepare. The release isn’t due out for a few months (June 9th via the band’s personal imprint Ohlone Recordings). However, Dredg will be offering quite a few early previews thanks to its recently launched North American tour that will be taking the quarter across the country for the next two months. Tickets are available excusibly through the band’s website.
Dredg 2009 Tour Dates:
03/16 – Kansas City, KS @ Riot Room
03/17 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
03/18 – San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (ILG Showcase)
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
04/03 – Portland, OR @ Hawthrone Theatre
04/04 – Bellingham, WA @ Nighlight
04/05 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
04/07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theater
04/08 – Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theatre
04/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
04/11 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudville Mews
04/12 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
04/13 – Pontiac, MI @ Eagle Theater
04/15 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
04/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
04/17 – Lancaster, PA @ Charmeleon Club
04/18 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
04/19 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
04/21 – Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery
04/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
04/24 – Orlando, FL @ Social
04/25 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Club
04/26 – Tampa, FL @ State Theater
04/30 – Houston, TX @ Meridian
05/01 – Dallas, TX @ Grenada
05/02 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
05/04 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
05/05 – Phoenix, AZ @ Martini Ranch
05/06 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
05/08 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
05/09 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
05/10 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
05/12 – Fresno, CA @ Starlite
05/13 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew
05/15 – Reno, NV @ The Underground
05/16 – Chino, CA @ Senator Theatre
05/19 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American
05/21 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour