With six tracks totaling over sixty minutes, Dog Magic is not a brief album; however, the length of these tracks gives them room to breathe.
“Tualatin,” at over thirteen minutes long, opens with bass rumble and a chanted lyric before launching into several minutes of galloping post-Sabbath rock. From there, the track mutates into a slower, darker form of heaviness, gradually layering the guitars and keyboards and building to a droning wail.
Finally, well over twelve minutes in, the riff itself drops out, leaving behind a few mournful keyboards and horns. This gradual metamorphosis is a common technique on Dog Magic — none of these tracks rides out just a single riff from beginning to end.
One major highlight is the nearly fifteen-minute-long track “Algebra of Need.” Two vocal lines — a far-back yell and an up-front monotone chant — punctuate a Moog-and-guitar riff tied down with a deep, droning buzz. The effect is absolutely massive.
For ten minutes, the riffs are relentless, undergoing a gradual change but never letting up. Then the drums disappear, replaced by a droning backdrop which gradually swallows the riff whole. The song ends with a reverb-soaked guitar melody fighting to be heard over feedback. It’s a striking track that demonstrates everything that is great about Dog Magic as a whole.
– Patrick Hajduch
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