Kayo Dot has always been among the most enticingly experimental bands of the millennium. Formed from the ashes of mastermind Toby Driver’s prior project, Maudlin of the Well, their avant-garde collages of synth rock, doom metal, post-rock, jazz, and more never fail to elicit hypnotic results. Luckily, their latest endeavor, Blasphemy, is perhaps their most fully realized and thoroughly enjoyable one yet. More varied, focused, and accessible than its immediate predecessors, it essentially houses all of Kayo Dot’s fascinatingly exploratory specialties into easier-to-digest packages. As such, it’s a great record for both newcomers and aficionados alike.
Officially, Blasphemy is “based on an allegorical story by [former Maudlin of the Well bandmate and current collaborator] Jason Byron. It explores greed, especially politically, and surrounds three characters on their search for a treasure that will eventually destroy them. . . . a sleeping girl with terrible power named Blasphemy.” Producer Randall Dunn returns, and helping Driver and Byron bring the tale to life are guitarist Ron Varod, drummers Leonardo Didkovsky and Phillip Price, and some additional players. From start to finish, they ensure that Blasphemy captivates as often as it surprises, proving once again why Kato Dot is a one-of-a-kind prospect.
In maintaining many of their idiosyncrasies while also delving deeper into a focused narrative and more approachable structures, Kayo Dot has undoubtedly created a new benchmark. Blasphemy radiates memorably multifaceted vocals, elegiac yet devastating lyricism, and sublimely catastrophic instrumentation, all the while permeating with trademark stylistic hodgepodges. It’s an enveloping philosophical experience just as much as it is an entertaining diversion, and anyone looking to get lost in such a world should seek it out ASAP.
