Dances in Dreams of the Known and Unknown
by The Skull Defekts
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. Magnet
    Apr 18, 2014
    85
    It's not a pretty album, but it will evoke reaction on either side of the coin. [No. 108, p.59]
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  2. Paste Magazine
    Apr 17, 2014
    85
    Not many bands in recent memory have been able to combine noise and otherworldly sonics with the sweat and hot breath of punk rock. The Skull Defekts have mastered it, boiled it down and resurrected it.
  3. The 405
    Apr 10, 2014
    85
    The album is a thrill from start to finish and is perhaps surprisingly accessible, particularly if you are aware of their previous work.
  5. The Quietus
    Apr 14, 2014
    80
    If you're a fan of Peer Amid, this might not quite be the album you were expecting, but on its own terms, they'll be few better channellings this year of rock as a primordial force, promising liberation through obliteration.
  6. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 9, 2014
    80
    This band are masters of their craft, and Dances in Dreams of the Known and Unknown is simply more evidence to attest to that assertion.
  7. Filter
    Apr 24, 2014
    72
    The music on this explosive new album is as tightly coiled as early Sabbath, but their terrifyingly detuned guitars, brickbat rhythmic chaos and contributions from Lungfish’s Daniel Higgs imbue the proceedings with an overwhelming air of apocalyptic doom.
  8. Dusted Magazine
    Jun 19, 2014
    70
    Admittedly, this is a record with a specific style and set of concerns: if you don’t like your post-punk hyper-focused and with Van Morrison-levels of nods to mysticism, you may lose patience with it quickly. For those who appreciate the iconoclasm involved, however, there’s plenty to savor here.
  9. AllMusic
    Apr 14, 2014
    70
    The various elements of grueling, confused rock nihilism and clear-headed spirituality result in some new kind of cosmic punk, existing on a strange galactic plane somewhere between chaos and enlightenment.
  10. Alternative Press
    Apr 9, 2014
    70
    On their 13th studio effort, the Skull Defekts have evolved into an actual rock band. [May 2014, p.94]
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  11. musicOMH.com
    Apr 9, 2014
    70
    When it works, The Skull Defekts are an unstoppable force, but every so often, they get a little aimless.
  12. Pitchfork
    Apr 9, 2014
    68
    The Skull Defekts make fine music on their own, but they sound more alluring and entrancing when their wagon is hitched to Higgs.

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