There’s an expression here in the States that rolls off the tongue quite nicely but, like all American idioms, is laced with an underlying, nasty bite: “You snooze, you lose.” It’s a smug, “them’s the breaks”/“sink or swim” way of telling someone that if they missed out on something, they’re the one to blame. The expression is ubiquitous among music snobs in particular. “You mean to tell me you weren’t at the party I hosted 35 years ago at my parents’ house outside Seattle where Nirvana played six songs for the 12 of us who were there? Too bad, bud: You snoozed and you losed.” (Remember, this fictional scenario takes place in the educationally challenged US of A.)
No matter the music nerd with whom you speak, that bummer of a sentiment will inevitably arise in conversation. After all, no one on Earth ever knew about every band worthy of checking out every time they played. Except maybe Forrest Gump. Man, that was one special dude, right? This brings us, somewhat circuitously, around to the case of Dozer, a heavy-go-lucky band of sweet Swedes who are giving those who’ve slept on the band – this writer not included - a chance to redeem themselves.
Rewind to Return: Rarities, Singles and B-Sides is such a generous release, it’s akin to a guest who brings way too much to a small-scale potluck dinner. With 15 prime Dozer selections, the compilation exceeds an hour in length and – as a solid primer on any band should do – culls cuts from Dozer’s earliest days through the present. Given that fact, discriminating listeners of heavy music who also happen to be Dozer-curious have no excuse for picking this collection as their first foray into the band’s fuzz-filled world. Fans familiar with Dozer owe it to themselves to buy the record too, as the quartet made the savvy decision to huddle together their best-known songs with rarities and B-sides.
The record is expertly sequenced: Instead of taking the conventional, cumbersome approach with a compilation such as this one — presenting its selections in chronological order — the dudes at Blues Funeral Recordings placed a higher priority on the smooth sequencing of the tracks. “Tanglefoot” and “Hail the Dude” (a Big Lebowski reference, perhaps?) start the record with what can only be described as a “Stoner Rock” sound, groan-inducing as that subgenre’s name may be.
Dozer does their best take on Kyuss with “Centerline”; as a matter of fact, the former band’s guitarist and vocalist, Fredrik Nordin, sounds pretty damn close to John Garcia at various points. Indeed, Dozer often resembles Kyuss, like on “Southern Star” and “Serpent’s Head,” albeit with more uplifting and toned-down songs. With all due respect to the Hellacopters, Dozer proves Heavy Rock doesn’t need to be played on full blast at every moment on an album.
Did we mention that 2025 marks Dozer’s three-decade anniversary as a band? While that milestone instigated the creation of Rewind to Return: Rarities, Singles and B-Sides, Dozer’s age can only be measured by all the wisdom they’ve gained since starting out. Wisdom that, when properly applied, results in must-have Heavy Rock releases like this remarkable document of Dozer’s career.
