ALBUM REVIEW
DREAM UNENDING – Certain Uncertainties
Jazz reshapes this progressive death-doom.
DREAM UNENDING's third full-length album, "Certain Uncertainties", consists of six tracks that take the musical language the duo have developed around death-doom in several different directions. The progressive rock, ambient and jazz influences already present on Derrick Vella and Justin DeTore's previous releases occupy considerably more space here. In certain passages, metal even ceases to be the defining element of the music, becoming just one component of a much broader compositional approach. This choice takes the duo's musical identity into interesting territory while asking listeners to set aside their conventional death-doom expectations.
Opening track 'Blinding Allure' provides a good starting point for understanding the relationship between the album's two contrasting sides. The relaxed fluidity of its blues- and jazz-influenced guitar passages takes on an entirely different weight when deep, heavily distorted riffs and Justin DeTore's cavernous growls enter the picture. What stands out is the way these contrasting approaches are used not as separate sections following one another, but as elements that transform each other within the same composition. The guitar's transition from delicate fingerpicked clean melodies to crushing chords also shapes the track's rhythmic flow. At times, DeTore's vocals take centre stage, assuming the role of the primary narrator; at others, they recede into the background, becoming another dark texture within the instrumentation. Closing track 'Causal' extends this same approach across a much longer canvas. Spanning approximately twelve minutes, it moves between improvisational guitar passages, psychedelic touches and sudden death-doom eruptions, bringing the duo's different musical approaches together within a single composition.
Metal, however, is not always the primary focal point of "Certain Uncertainties". The prominent use of trumpet on the instrumental title track demonstrates just how far DREAM UNENDING have taken their relationship with jazz. Leila Abdul-Rauf's trumpet contribution combines with Derrick Vella's open-ended, free-flowing guitar work to create an atmosphere far removed from conventional doom. The track's unhurried progression replaces the tension generated by heavy music with a calmer, more contemplative form of expression. 'Rubato', meanwhile, moves closer to jazz fusion with Dave Vella's keyboard contributions, while its lively bass lines and shifting rhythmic patterns give the guitar plenty of room to roam. Together, these two tracks make it clear that the album's non-metal influences are not merely being used for brief interludes or atmospheric transitions.
'Strained Sincerity' is where the band's death-doom identity comes through more directly. Heavy guitar riffs, weighty rhythmic accents and DeTore's deep vocals establish the track's fundamental character, while the Western-influenced clean guitars that become more prominent as it progresses introduce a different colour into this otherwise punishing framework. One of the defining aspects of DREAM UNENDING's approach becomes apparent here: traditional death-doom riffs are not simply used to bridge the gaps between quieter passages. Instead, the openness created by clean guitars and melodic passages also reshapes the impact of the heavier sections. As a result, the album's most aggressive moments never feel like isolated displays of heaviness, detached from its more melodic side.
'I Carry Your Burden' represents the album's more fragile dimension. Brendan Radigan's guest vocals offer a more emotional and open form of expression that reinforces the track's ballad-like character. His vocal approach differs markedly from DeTore's cavernous growls, extending the album's broader contrast-driven aesthetic into its vocal arrangements. This choice demonstrates that DREAM UNENDING create different expressive spaces not only through their instrumentation but also through their approach to vocal delivery.
The production also supports this musical expansion. Compared to the previous releases, the less layered and more immediate presentation gives greater definition to the guitars' different tones and the finer nuances of the performances. The separation between clean guitars, blues- and jazz-based melodies, keyboards and heavily distorted passages is an important factor in making the album's musical diversity work. Vella's guitar playing, in particular, moves between different harmonic and melodic ideas without relying on technical showmanship. This freedom, occasionally bordering on improvisation, gives the compositions a more unpredictable character. That said, the extended instrumental passages are not always equally compelling. Some sections stretch on without developing their underlying musical ideas sufficiently, and the album's pacing can become a test of patience, particularly for listeners with more traditional death-doom preferences.
The combination of death-doom, progressive rock and ambient elements established across DREAM UNENDING's first two albums expands here towards a more pronounced jazz and blues orientation. In this respect, "Certain Uncertainties" shares the same broader musical curiosity found in the genre-crossing explorations of bands such as BLOOD INCANTATION within contemporary progressive death metal. DREAM UNENDING's approach, however, is less metal-centric and rooted in a freer compositional philosophy. Complexity here does not emerge through constantly shifting riffs or technical transitions, but through different musical languages making room for one another within the same composition. Naturally, this approach makes it unrealistic to expect the album to appeal to everyone. Listeners who prioritise the heavy riffs, dark vocals and unmistakable metal character of death-doom may find some passages straying further from the genre than they would like. Moreover, the improvisational nature of the longer compositions occasionally calls for tighter editorial restraint.
What makes "Certain Uncertainties" artistically significant is its embrace of a freedom that lies outside the pursuit of musical perfection. The rough edges left in certain transitions, the unmistakable sense of improvisation in some of the guitar passages and the way the compositions develop beyond the conventions of traditional metal songwriting all become part of the album's expressive identity. Although this approach does not work equally well in every passage, it is clear that DREAM UNENDING have no intention of confining themselves to a fixed death-doom formula. Ultimately, "Certain Uncertainties" is a record willing to move beyond conventional extreme metal expectations, placing jazz and progressive rock influences at the heart of its musical identity. Even if it occasionally allows itself too much freedom, it succeeds in establishing an aesthetic territory of its own. For listeners who appreciate music that stretches the boundaries between genres, it represents a noteworthy addition to DREAM UNENDING's discography.
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