Head Of David – Dustbowl (1987)

April 24, 2023

It’s one thing to be produced by a legend such as Steve Albini, but quite another thing to sound very, very similar to one of his bands. In this case, Head Of David’s Dustbowl is not a million miles away from the dissonant ramblings and clanking bass of Big Black, which is extremely disappointing considering the line up of this band, and as I say, the producer on board too.

Putting aside the accusations of being a bad carbon copy of a brilliant band, the songs are rather interesting, I will give them that. Some are rather short, others are laid out in a puzzling way, but almost all of them conform to the same kind of sound, with thumping drums all over the top. Of note is the original “Dog Day Sunrise”, which Fear Factory famously covered on Demanufacture. I gotta be honest, I think I prefer that version.

Can’t help but be disappointed by this, as I said. Perhaps some hidden “gems” are best left unearthed.