Review: Dool “Here Now, There Then”

Dool “Here Now, There Then”
Prophecy Productions

Dool is the Dutch word for wander and the band probably chose the name so they didn’t have to pigeon hole their creative output into one single genre. Although for the most part, they dwell in dark quarters… with one obvious comparison, which I’ll get to in the next paragraph.

Dool features two members of The Devil’s Blood, so whatever they create, comparisons are bound to be made with their old band, especially as they also have a female fronting Dool. But The Devil’s Blood really were a one off band, so I’ll leave the subject well alone for now… but I will say that if you liked TDB, then you’ll love Dool… even if they do sound (just) a little different.

As I’ve touched upon already, Dool like to keep things dark. Be it in a sultry, melancholic way, or kicking up a storm by adding some 60s influenced psychedelia into the mix. I am a sucker for the latter, but the quieter moody stuff works for me too. Although in saying that, track 6, The Alpha doesn’t really get going like the rest of the album.

Fronting the band, Ryanne van Dorst has a stunning voice and I prefer it when she is belting out the notes. There’s so much passion in her voice and the way she switches between all guns blazing to quiet and soothing is astounding.

Because of her performance on this album I tracked down some of her earlier work as Elle Bandita, which is a little poppier, (like Kate Bush meets Stevie Nicks meets Pat Benatar) but equally as good as her current day job. She also recently announced, in her own reality show, that she was born as a hermaphrodite, so she certainly isn’t your typical front person.

And that probably makes her a good fit for Dool. They don’t follow a set blueprint as they flit from Psychedelia, though the pop end of the Goth spectrum to more introspective tones. And I really do applaud them for that.

Dool are definitely a band worth keeping tabs on.

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