Dredg

Catch Without Arms came out on Interscope on June 21, 2005. It's the record where Dredg tightened up. After two concept albums built around long stories, they wrote shorter, more direct songs here, and it became their first album to chart in the US. It debuted at 123 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on Heatseekers. "Bug Eyes" was the single, with a video by Philip Andelman.

The band wrote for eight months while touring El Cielo, then spent another ten recording and mixing with Terry Date, who'd made records with Deftones, Soundgarden and Pantera. Former Queensrÿche guitarist Chris DeGarmo helped with arrangements and shares writing credits on two songs.

It's still a concept record, but about an idea rather than a plot. Gavin Hayes said the whole thing is about "opposites, contrasts," with lyrics drawn from conversations and arguments, so the album is split into two halves that push against each other. Drew Roulette and Hayes made a painting for every song, each named for a pair of opposites: "Bug Eyes" is Grace & Seriousness, the title track Freedom & Order, "Not That Simple" Depth & Surface, "Planting Seeds" Sameness & Difference and "Jamais Vu" Light & Dark. The paintings also worked as a map: clues posted on the band's site sent fans digging for buried treasure around the Bay Area, and the three winners got to name a song on the next album. Later, Dan the Automator remixed "Sang Real" for the Live at the Fillmore release, and he went on to produce their fifth album, Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy.

20th anniversary edition. In 2026 the band is reissuing it as "a new perspective through a new lens": the original sequence plus five bonus tracks, including the previously unreleased "Life's Revengeful Son" with System of a Down's Serj Tankian. It's mastered for vinyl by Sterling Sound, pressed by Pirates Press as a double gatefold 2xLP with a 12" booklet, and the artwork has been redesigned by Scott Pargett. There's a CD and a CWA20 merch capsule too: tracklist longsleeves, hoodies and a snapback. Pre-orders are at dredgstore.com, shipping around December 18, 2026.