Divide And Dissolve

Sax, drone and rock’n’roll with an anti-colonial message

On the surface, doom metal and prog are polar opposites. Sure, there have been bands that have bridged the worlds – Anathema, Oceans Of Slumber and Pallbearer spring to mind – but by and large the groups whose sound can largely be defined by “side one, track one of Black Sabbath’s debut album” are hardly known for their progressive qualities. But Divide And Dissolve aren’t like other doom bands. If anything, they are to doom what Black Sabbath were to the blues.

“The word ‘heavy resonance’ comes to mind,” muses D&D multi-instrumentalist and mastermind Takiaya Reed, when asked how she defines her sound. “But there’s also an element of neoclassical in there too; I’m classically trained and it’s something I’ll always draw from.”

There’s certainly shades of that on new album, ‘Insatiable’. The first D&D album written and recorded entirely by Reed – until 2022 the project was a two-piece with drummer Sylvie Nehill – being stripped down to a single player hasn’t curbed her sonic vision. The baseline of bone-rattling, droning doom metal has been expanded with near symphonic swells and looped, wailing saxophones deployed to create an otherworldly atmosphere. Surprisingly, much of Insatiable was improvised in the studio. Invited to Berlin to perform a residency by Agnes Obel, Takiaya was encouraged by the Danish musician to hit a studio and just record.

“She’s a wizard,” Reed admits. “I’ve never really taken the opportunity to write on the spot. It felt extremely vulnerable, but also something I needed.”

Although Divide And Dissolve’s music is largely instrumental, that doesn’t mean there’s no meaning. Each album has taken a strong and vocal stance against colonialism, fascism and the architecture of genocide and slavery. A big part of that stems from Reed’s own identity. Born in Texas, Reed is a Black woman with Cherokee ancestry who also identifies as “two-soul” [a Native American term for people who are gay, lesbian or transgender].

“Our music is about systems of liberation,” Reed explains. “It’s songs about strength in environments that demand weakness.”

As well as working on Insatiable, Reed achieved a lifelong dream earlier this year when she created her own symphony for BBC Radio 3’s //Unclassified Live//.

“I could spend a lifetime composing another one,” she admits. “People will come up to me like, ‘I’ve never met a composer that looks like you’. That made me realise I need a bigger body of work! I need to help change the dynamic and the dialogue of what composers look like and are.”

Challenging expectations comes as second nature for Reed. Divide And Dissolve have supported the likes of Chelsea Wolfe and [US indie rockers] Low in the past and this year will play both Desertfest and Supersonic Festival in the UK. “Being progressive means conquering your fears,” she says with a shrug. “Doing something you’ve never done before, trying it and even if you fail, trying it again.” 

– Rich Hobson

PROG FILE

Line-Up: Takiaya Reed (Everything)

Sounds Like: The rumble of reality being rended in two, with saxophone

Current Release: //Insatiable// is out April 18 via Bella Union

Website: https://divideanddissolve.com/