Dessiderium – Keys to the Palace

Written by on 13-04-2025 at 20:30.

On March 14, the fifth album of the American one-man project Dessiderium was released. This new work of multi-instrumentalist Alex Haddad is entitled Keys to the Palace and has been in development for more than 10 years. Much of the material even dates back to a time before the release of the two previous albums, Shadow Burn (2020) and Aria (2021). On a side note: he can also be a team player as he has become one of the permanent guitarists of the band Atheist since 2023.

According to Alex, this album finally closes the chapter of Dessiderium that spans most of his twenties and it may be said: it is a worthy conclusion to this period. The aforementioned previous releases did not have a happy ending, both being filled with defeat. Keys to the Palace, on the other hand, reaches for triumph. According to the master himself, the album deals with time travel that explores the polarity between past and future, innocence and disillusionment, faith and despair, and adolescence and adulthood.

Dessiderium is a progressive, melodic death metal project with quite a lot of twists. The alternating grunts and clean vocals are known from Opeth and Wilderun, among others. Another remarkable element is the use of the classical piano, clearly audible in several songs. However, the compositions can also really go all out, as you would expect from death metal.

The second track on the album is titled Dover Hendrix and can be considered as representative of the record. Lasting ten and a half minutes, I don’t know if you can call it a single, although the word simply indicates “a single song”. In addition to the earlier comparisons with Opeth and Wilderun, I must admit that an artist like Devin Townsend also comes to mind when listening to Dover Hendrix. Something that I also hear, to some extent, in other songs on the disc.

The entire album is a trip in itself but Pollen for the Bees and the title track are definitely highlights. Both of epic length but so full of variety that it never gets boring. I even think the album needs multiple listens to understand what Alex is trying to achieve with Keys to the Palace.

Fans of giants like Opeth, Wilderun, Devin Townsend and Piah Mater will love this record. With this conclusion to his twenties, Alex Haddad has delivered a beautiful, varied and impressive album.

Score:

90/100

Label:

Willowtip Records, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. In the Midst of May
  2. Dover Hendrix
  3. Pollen for the Bees
  4. A Dream That Wants Me Dead
  5. Magenta
  6. Keys to the Palace

Line-up:

  • Alex Haddad – Guitars, bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals and orchestration
  • Brody Taylor Smith – Drums

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