Album Review – Chout’s Dogwater is a nod to 90s rock and metal fans alike

Chout’s “Dogwater” is a nod to 90s rock and metal fans alike

By Alex Jones

Chout is a South Chicago based rock band formed in early 2018, but by the sound of their new album entitled ‘Dogwater” you would think they’d been together as a band since their youth. While the band officially formed within the last two years, they’ve actually been writing together since they were all 13 years old, and are childhood friends.

This cohesiveness has transcended from the elementary school halls they attended together, to the studios they record in, and straight to our ears for enjoyment.

Demonstrating their influence from Alice in Chains, Chout’s “Dogwater” shows that 90s grunge rock can mix well with modern music ideals. On vocals, Brendan Maier’s is as haunting as it is tantalizing; while Matt Morgan brings those classic heavy metal guitar riffs typical of any great rock band.

The album leads off with their popular song “Seasons” and it’s a heavy hitter. Maier’s haunting vocals lead this album off in full force with this song. Rocco Gilsdorf delivers on the bass and Joel Martinez pounds on the drums to thump in your chest whether you’re listening with headphones or live in person.

Chout demonstrates their versatility with the fourth song off the album titled “All Has Been Done.” It’s a nice change of pace from the rest of the album, as the lead guitar and vocals start off low and slow, but it begins to build. By the end of the song, while the vocals remain at their pace, we’re blessed with a heavy-hitting guitar solo that will leave you ready to listen again and again.

The album closes out with the song “To Lose” sweetly sings about the beauty of a person lost, and while the vocals sound soft and innocent, the instrumentals hit as hard as any song off the entire album. “Dogwater” ends with arguably Chout’s hardest hitting song off the album, and is something I can picture being played in front of thousands.

Although Chout has only been together a year, this album makes it seem as though they’ve been doing this their whole lives. Any fan of metal, Alice in Chains, or 90s rock in general needs to add “Dogwater” to their list of “must listens.”