DENDERA
“Mask Of Lies”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Dendera are a heavy metal band from the UK formed in 2007, releasing to date three E.P.’s – ‘We Must Fight’ (2011), ‘Part One – Blood Red Sky’ (2017), and ‘Part Two – Reborn Into Darkness’ (2020), and three full length albums – ‘The Killing Floor’ (2013), ‘Pillars Of Creation’ (2015), and ‘Mask Of Lies’ (2024).

Hailing from Portsmouth (UK), Dendera are a formidable force of nature, delivering a thunderous blend of traditional and groove metal with a mix of clean and harsh vocals! The five-piece outfit features guitarist (and founder) Steve Main, drummer Andy Finch, guitarist David Stanton (Season’s End, Acid Empire), bass player Bradley Edison, and vocalist Ashley Edison (ex Power Quest), with the bands new album a ten song, forty five minute offering that romps all over metal territory, attracting fans of bands such as Carbon Black, Dream Theater, Parkway Drive and Trivium – yes readers, the variation on offer is that wide! ‘Mask Of Lies’ opens with the one minute highly atmospheric and anticipative instrumental ‘Face To Face’, leading straight into album opener proper, the title song ‘Mask Of Lies’.

And a monolithic groove metal aura, the band pounding the ground hard with mildly harsh vocals and an effortless swagger that sees (or rather hears) ‘Mask Of Lies’ (the song) turn incredibly melodious across the chorus break – Dendera proudly bringing together a number of metal genres to deliver a phenomenally wide sonic barrage! A barrage that’s been immediate and head turning, ‘Mask Of Lies’ (the album) marching on with the power driven stomper ‘Scream In Silence’. Featuring more groove than the album opener, ‘Scream In Silence’ has an insane amount of power propelling it forward, Dendera changing through the gears to vary the pace and tempo – ‘Fading’ not fading at all! Displaying a more heavy metal nature than either of the two previous songs, Dendera maintain their proud stance at the meeting of a number of different metal genres, the band grabbing the attentions of metallers and thrashers from all over the world. A varied threesome to begin with, I wonder where the British five-piece will venture next!

Not very far is the short answer, ‘Mask Of Lies’ (the album) firmly grounded in the groove metal arena, Dendera doubling the pace (of the album) with ‘Guiding Light’. Roaring outta the blocks and powering on with an increased level of purpose and intent, ‘Guiding Light’ is gonna have every mosh pit turning frenzied! Metalheads are gonna crank their necks to this one, heads rocking back and forth at an extreme rate of knots – ‘The Fall’ entering the fray with one helluva menacing aura. Quickly building to a bold crescendo, ‘The Fall’ takes on a black album era Metallica grove metal thunder stomp, Dendera adding touches of alternative and progressive metal to the mix along with bursts of electrifying speed! The most varied song heard on the album so far, ‘The Fall’ is gonna catch the band a much wider audience than ever before! Dendera refuse to be pigeon-holed into just the one genre of metal, offering an eclectic array of styles via the bands third full length release – ‘Drift Away’ stomping in with increased menace to shake the ground it stomps on! If you’re looking for an album of traditional heavy metal you’re looking in the wrong fucking place – this album is fully loaded with thrash infused groove metal, the Portsmouth powerhouse driving forward with a slight crossover mentality.

Scorching speed makes an emphatic entrance via the fast paced ‘Inside My Head’, the level of head bang ability shooting right through the fucking roof – the band changing down a gear across the chorus break. The head bangers of the world are gonna love the blistering pace here, rocking their heads back and forth faster than ever to a simply bruising barrage of metal! And with a little out of character mellowness, ‘Stare Into The End’ creeps forth, strolling across the land without a care in the world for all the heaviness heard so far – Dendera perching closer to the anthemic hymn-like nature of metal than at any other point on ‘Mask Of Lies’ (the album). Not afraid to broaden the bands horizons, ‘Stare Into The End’ offers something different from the searing rampage heard everywhere else – the album ending with the mightiest foot stomp on offer, ‘Drag Me Below’ mixing groove, thrash and alternative metal with harsh vocals to reinforce the bands more usual aggression fuelled sound!

Overall, a crushing groove metal stomp, ‘Mask Of Lies’ has menace, aggression and attitude pouring outta every song on offer.

TRACKLIST

Face To Face
Mask Of Lies
Scream In Silence
Fading
Guiding Light
The Fall
Drift Away
Inside My Head
Stare Into The End
Drag Me Below

https://dendera.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/DenderaUK

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