A postulate: If Drear is correct, and Hope is the Opiate of the Masses, that what is Drear? If a band openly spits on the foolishly grinning face of blind faith in good luck (i.e. hope itself), than how does Drear, the band, nay the concept, relate to the Masses in question? An answer: Drear is not an opiate, it is a detox. If one is addicted to hope, listening to Drear is quite simply the antithesis to that addiction; it is more like the process of vomiting up all the joy, hope, and bliss in life with as much violence and force as possible. Like a nasty state-sponsored trip to rehab, Drear has you facing the worst parts of life, and coming through laughing at them.

As horrible as that made Drear sound, this is by no means a bad demo. In fact, if grim, desolate, and soulless doom metal is your bag, Drear will fit like a glove. The sounds on offer here could only come from an industrial, modernized England; the seemingly "dreary" British outtake on life, combined with urban sprawl and the soulless autonomy of modern existence in big cities, has led to many bands attempting to capture the sound of "progress." There is definitely a very "production-line" aura on Hope, the sounds of factories grinding people one after the other into early graves. Combining gothic funeral doom, noisy ambiance, and soul-crushing industrial age black metal, Drear have molded for themselves a unique take on the doom cannon, and they have great potential for future tidings of apocalypse. Comparable to few bands I can think of, I attempt to draw on references as varied as French automatons P.H.O.B.O.S., Zaraza, and maybe even the blacker works of Sunn-O))). The sounds of Godflesh are also a definite vibe I get at certain points. Despite their influences (or lack thereof), Drear have a undeniably unique sound that despite a few flaws, proves to be exceedingly captivating.

In keeping with the highly inhumane miasma of this demo, half of the tracks are instrumental, and the ones featuring any kind of lyrics have little of them at all. I feel this presents a grand statement about how technology as a whole consumes even the strongest man, as for every human being to have existed, it seems more important progressions and innovations outlive them and take their places. "The Breaking of Nations..." is no exception to this rule, and in my opinion offers the best hint of Godflesh and P.H.O.B.O.S. on the entire disc. Wholly instrumental, the song churns with deliberate, grinding purpose, almost like pistons and cogs in a factory. The wavering stomp of industrial noise eventually lightens with a withering trace of funeral parlor piano keys, almost like the last trace of graceful humanity succumbing to the onset of mechanical might. 

"The War to End All Wars" is one of my favorite songs, and it definitely shows the doomier side of the band. On this track Drear smothers the listener with grim realism in the face of warfare and blackened doom riffs with soul-splitting vocals. When vocalist Glen howls "people fought with life itself, to give some sort of meaning to their insignificance," it will send chills down your very human spine. The song's mid-paced tempo shift will leave the rest of your ashes solidly pissed upon, and the disc's end only gets better.

"Trembling Beneath the Sky" is some meandering ambiance that didn't make too much of an impression on me, but "The Weather Report for Judgement Day" rectifies this with some of the bleakest doom ever to be recorded on either side of the Atlantic. I debated about whether or not to call "The Simplicity in Dying" the best track here, as it's stark, beautiful, and monotone mix of ominous rumbles and eerie piano is a masterpiece of funeral ambiance. The song is gracefully cinematic in scope, and it is simply one of the most alluring instrumentals I've heard over the last year (at least by a band that isn't purely instrumental like say Pelican). 

"Dismal Autumn Skies on an Anglican Eve" is probably the strongest track on offer, as nothing but cold, bleak, and most importantly black metal is elongated into the plodding hypnosis of sludgey doom. A freaking fantastic song.

Throughout my first few listens, I didn't like this demo too much. However, as time wore on, I found myself getting pieces of it embedded in my skull, and returning to a piano chord here, a crushing riff there. Like all good doom metal, patience is a virtue. I promise you'll need it for Drear, but with enough listens it will warrant some mighty devotion. If you like rain, grey skies, and urban decay, give Drear a few spins; after all, resistance is futile!

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