Fresh on the heels of other progressive death accolades in the comeback-record-sphere,1 Bedsore has staged a lesser-hyped return of their own. Four years on the books since 2020’s Hypnagogic Hallucinations, about which Ferrous Bueller proclaimed that Bedsore aimed “to be as creative as possible within the band’s preferred scope,” these Italian metal history buffs have returned not simply to their ’90s death metal-inspired roots. Trading logo-adorned garments and pit-tussled hair for amber-tinted shades and pressed, patterned shirts—buttoned enough to allow the tease of a scruffy chest—the Bedsore troupe has turned over not to expose a pustular dorsum but rather an ashen mound of patchouli and burnt flower. Though never absent of psychedelic leanings and progressive tendencies, Bedsore’s prior efforts still appeared death metal first. And now? The hippification is real.
Alas, dreams infect life with ambition. And in Bedsore’s grandest vision yet, they’ve attempted to interpret the classic Italian tale that shares a name, loosely, with this sophomore effort. Given the literary source’s mixed-language origins dating back to the 15th century, Dreaming the Strife for Love requires Bedsore’s new capital “P” prog attitude to even attempt to capture the necessary fantastical grandeur. While Hypnagogic Hallucinations foreshadowed the extended exploration of smoky room jam sessions through twangy amp tones and doom-weighted atmosphere, Dreaming unleashes the full fury of Italian drama through synths, synths, and more synths. Though not quite as horror-toned as their influential countrymen Goblin, the urge to drive with earmarked leads, fluttering segues, and occult camp holds strong in the halls that Bedsore has built with Dreaming.
Dreaming the Strife for Love by Bedsore
All these new layers in the Bedsore identity arrive with intention, with unique timbres adding world-building motifs to what will appear, at first, a dense soundscape. In a long-standing prog tradition, Bedsore uses the drawn-out intro of “Minerva’s Obilesque” and first riff-based track “Scars of Light” both to pay homage to great works, like King Crimson’s Red or an Ennio Morricone score, and to introduce a few primary motifs that later tracks explore. And while that dedication to exposition covers a dutiful twelve-minute stretch, its worming characters, as promised, return in dramatic union (“A Colossus, an Elephant, a Winged Horse, the Dragon Rendezvous”) and vibrant swells (“Fanfare for a Heartfelt Love”). And though side A conclusion “A Colossus…” finds part of its footing in established pointers, it too finds a personification of its main players in low synth stomp (Colossus), wailing saxophone (Elephant), playful organ bursts (Winged Horse), and a Zappa-esque guitar squeal (Dragon), all of which come together in a swirling coda. It can be exhausting attenuating the onslaught of constructed sounds, but Dreaming’s colors unfold to those who can.
The total spectrum of sound through Dreaming appears lush at first and even tenth swipe, but its squashing of the mic renders one of its most dynamic elements flat. Dialed Mellotron refrains and delicate cymbal brushes remain bright and focal enough so that the hop to space or slide to calm never feel out of place—Davide Itri’s drum performance throughout shows a mastery of moody tom tumbles and malleted rolls, if a touch light in kick. But in the splendor of these bright intrusions, these marching and booming rhythms, and a lead guitar tone that just won’t quit, Jacopo Gianmaria Pepe’s blackened wail fades in and out of the mix, not for psychedelia’s sake either. As one of the few elements that keeps Bedsore’s toes in deathly waters, these shrieks and howls also can add weight to flighty ventures into Hawkwind patch overload or guitar-saxophone histrionic duels. Instead, and likely intentionally, they dissipate in the haze of instrumental experimentation.
Ever entrenched in cinema, the unique and Italian expression that Bedsore uses to build its prog poses a challenge to the extremity that persists in bursts. Yet, despite the complexity and labyrinthian storytelling that encompasses the Dreaming the Strife for Love experience, Bedsore maintains an effortless flair about every nook and cranny of this deeply planned affair. A band’s continued dive into progressive waters can often feel unnatural or clunky. But tight as the flared trousers that adorn the heroes of Bedsore’s ’70s reimagination, Dreaming in execution leaves little wonder that it could have been anything else. As a surreal tale with an eerie and open-ended conclusion, this sophomore endeavor has set the stage for Bedsore not to fester but bloom.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp
Websites: bedsoredeath.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/bedsoredeath
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024
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