What a terribly unmemorable name for such an interesting band. Dolium are getting White Stripes comparisons - largely because they comprise boy/girl duo Reece Adamo and Ms De Vine - but judging by the El Vampiro Attack! EP their pedigree and influences are soundly early eighties post-punk with a side order of The Sisters Of Mercy 1987, image-wise.
Musically Dolium are a lumpen, clunking grab bag of bass thud (courtesy Ms De Vine) and bristling guitar (from songwriter Adamo). With one ear on Bauhaus (the band, not the art movement) and one eye on the garage-plod of The White Stripes, Dolium bash and crash their way through several minutes of avant-garage Goth, appealing to the huge vampire contingent with scabrously hilarious titles such as “You’ve Got Holes!”, “(She Can’t) Stake My Heart!”, “Oh Lord, I See No Reflection”, “Coughin’ In The Coffin” and “These Fans Have Fucking Fangs”.
While de rigeur music journalists will point at current garage rock duos (or, technically, trios - as Dolium also possess a drummer of thudding ability) anyone with an ounce of nous and knowledge of history will see Dolium for what they really are: this is The Birthday Party’s “Release The Bats”, The Meteors’ “Just Poppin’ Out To Start A War”, this is early Christian Death. But El Vampiro Attack! is mostly a reasonable facsimile of the mighty Alien Sex Fiend - who did all this kind of stuff decades ago, and did it better. Dolium are the Fiends without the stage show, the Aliens without the ability and the Sex without the climax.
It’ll do until the real thing returns, but only just.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Dolium, El Vampiro Attack, garage, goth, post-punk, rock
