Dorje [Live Review – The Borderline, London, 7/11/2016]
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Dorje are unmissable.
Their name may be hard to pronounce – “Door-Jay” rather than popular alternatives such as “Doorway,” “Door-Hey,” and “Doorjuh” – but Dorje have nonetheless made their name synonymous with increasingly brutal prog-tinted tunes that stand right on the borderline between rock and metal. Last night’s central London location, legendary rock venue The Borderline, was therefore an appropriate place for Dorje to strut their stuff. Name a groove-heavy band worth knowing, and they’re likely to have graced The Borderline’s subterranean stage at some point in their careers.
This was not the first time Dorje conquered The Borderline – but with new EP Centred And One (reviewed on TMMP here) having seen the light of day only recently, there’s no doubt that this was their most powerful showing yet. Kicking into personal favourite Outspoken and sparking an instant pit with its Extreme-meet-Dillinger-Escape-Plan beatdown before shifting into Centred And One (the song), I noticed a couple of new changes. First off, frontman Rob Chapman’s vocal is much more vulnerable this time out – and second, bassist Dave Hollingworth’s stage presence has massively, massively improved.
It’s a point I keep returning to, but it bears repeating: Dorje are a solid, singular unit on the rise. Yes, each member is considered an online gear guru in his own right – a factor at least partially responsible for the rapt attention paid to Dorje’s soundcheck, and the earliest of their earliest successes – but with two iTunes-topping EPs behind them, virtuoso musicianship, and a flawless back catalogue of jawbreaking songs, it’s obvious at this point that Dorje have passed the “potential flash-in-the-pan” stage. That is, if you consider them to have ever existed at that stage in the first place – which I don’t.
Moving on, The Borderline crowd also experienced a pair of brand new Dorje tunes. Although in the past you could point to influences as diverse as Incubus, Alter Bridge, Karnivool, and Porcupine Tree to describe Dorje’s sound, these latest offerings transcend musical trainspotting. They are pure Dorje. Expect uplifting melodies, spectacular 6/8 riffscapes that had fans at the front humping the monitors, and peerless grooves aplenty.
Many big-name bands of the past made it on the back of a single anthem. At the time of writing, Dorje have three: Catalyst, Aeromancy, and unreleased penultimate tune Detritus. The first two inspired impassioned singalongs, a sold-out and electrified room having memorized every single word; the third caused The Borderline to go ballistic, with not a single body in the place remaining stock still.
Dorje’s past, present, and future are clearly secure. Between Aeromancy and Detritus sat the muscular To Survive and cathartic Zero – and right at the end of this encoreless set came Flower Of Life, a time-signature-juggling monolith that highlights Dorje’s ability to keep things simultaneously accessible, catchy, and complex. Add in stage divers and gut-quaking bass, and there you have it.
Onwards and upwards.
TMMP RATING: 100%.
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