Artist: Dream Evil
Label: Century Media Records
Release Date: 3/25/03
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Title: Evilized Artist: Dream Evil Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 3/25/03 |
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Abyss's Review:
Alright, those of you who have been reading this site for a good while now may have noticed that I've been far less picky when it comes to power/prog metal than I used to be. In the past there were only few cleanly sung bands that I could tolerate, but I've taken long strides in my acceptance of all metal. That is until I started listening to this album.
"Even if Dream Evil were ten times the band that they are, they still wouldn't be very high on my list." I'd like to consider myself an unbiased critic here and just point out the good and bad points to this album, but the fact is that I really hate this fucking thing. Even if Dream Evil were ten times the band that they are, they still wouldn't be very high on my list. Mostly because this style of power/heavy/metal/rock isn't really my thing, but also because I just can't take them seriously. This album's title should clue you in to how accomplished these guys are as poets. That's the type of album title I would have come up with when I was 13. The lyrics are even worse. The most obvious example is the over the top cheese of "Made of Metal" (I think this one would even have Manowar snickering). The lyrics are about how he's been metal all of his life... "I am so fucking metal, and so is my wife" with a female voice answering "I am his wife". Now this song is obviously written as a joke (god, I hope it's a joke), but it would only be funny if the rest of the lyrics weren't equally as inane. Basically what I'm saying is that I assume the lyrics to "Made of Metal" are a joke, I don't know they are.
"It's like this is a group of musicians with no idea men." The songwriting itself is just plain tepid. Formulaic songs with generic melodies. Some are annoyingly memorable, like the contrived chorus of "Bad Dreams" (as in: this song gives me "Bad Dreams") or "Fear the Night" (as in: "Fear the Night" this album was made). It's not that these guys are devoid of musical talent or don't seem to spend enough time in putting an album together. The presentation and production on this disc show that they do. It's more like this is a group of musicians with no idea men. One word review: Sucks.
Death's Review:
After years of producing other people's bands at the famed Studio Fredman (e.g., At the Gates, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir and The Haunted), Fredrik Nordstrom finally stepped up to the plate a couple of years back with his own band, Dream Evil (no apparent connection to the criminally underrated Dio album of the same name, however). The debut album, Dragonslayer, was warmly received by the international power metal community, and thus the follow-up, Evilized, is now upon us. Sadly, while this is a competent blend of power metal and thrash, with some catchy choruses and some decent riffs, the end product is nowhere near the level of any of the aforementioned metal superstars Nordstrom has produced. This is much more in the vein of Hammerfall than Opeth. The vocalist (Hammerfall backing vocalist Niklas Isfeldt) is standard German/Swedish power metal fare, and while he is surely skilled, this type of sugary sound just doesn't do much for me. The thrashiness of some of the riffing and the well-produced guitar sound is what primarily separates Dream Evil from the rest of the more saccharine-laden pack, but trust me - Bay Area thrash this is not. This is much more accessible, and the words "brutal" or even "technical" rarely come into play.
"Sadly, while this is a competent blend of power metal and thrash, the end product is nowhere near the level of any of the metal superstars Nordstrom has produced."
Instead, this is the type of power metal where the name of the song is often repeated over and over as the chorus, most notably in the opener "Break the Chain," a stereotypical (for this style) shouted chorus that you can probably imagine what it sounds like before you even hear it. I do like the fact that some of the tracks feature whispered vocals at key moments ("Invisible") and other interesting effects. And it is also cool that "Evilized," the album's title track, carries on a grand metal tradition in also serving as sort of the band's signature song by incorporating lyrics about "evil in dreams" and such. I also like solo of the guitar solos, and "Bad Dreams" has kind of an interesting minor key feel. My favorite track, "Fear the Night," has a less cheesy feel to the verses but the chorus is still a bit much, although the cool guitar solo makes up for it. The opening riff to "Made of Metal" is pretty cool - you wish the rest of the album had this kind of feel. Still in the end, this album just relishes too much in the stereotypical, the tried and true. I'd label this one "traditional" metal as much as anything else. This may play in Germany, Japan or elsewhere in Europe, but in the U.S., this is going to get lost in the shuffle. With all due respect to the talents and achievements of Mr. Norstrom and the relative talents of the other musicians in the band (all of whom are clearly decent players, including ex-Mercyful Fate drummer Snowy Shaw), without Nordstrom in the band this would just be another mediocre power metal album. Truth be told, even with him in the band, the result is the same.
"This may play in Germany, Japan or elsewhere in Europe, but in the U.S., this is going to get lost in the shuffle."
Hel's Review:
Evilized is catchy as hell. This is the first thing that jumps out after even just a single listen. The songs stick in your head, and when you listen to it the second time, you may just find yourself already singing along. Certainly by the time I finally sat down to write up this review, I was amazed to find myself unconsciously singing every word of every song. And, if you consider my general aversion to the power metal genre, then you understand more fully my surprise. But just what is it about this album that makes it so much more palatable?
"The songs stick in your head, and when you listen to it the second time, you may just find yourself already singing along." Well, the first thing is the classic feel to the album. The backbone of the band is the drums and guitars, and you won't hear an overabundance of keyboards on this record. The vocal delivery is another point which is distinct: you won't find a surfeit of high notes that you know, deep in your bones, a man really shouldn't be able to hit. Additionally, you won't hear any mention of dragons, swords, or other fantasy elements in the lyrical content. The subject matter is as straight-forward and no-nonsense as the music.
"The musicianship on the album is, predictably, stellar." And the musicianship on the album is, predictably, stellar. You had to know that with the all-star caliber staff in this band that it would be. If you like bands that play their instruments well, and write solid songs with a classic flair and content you can identify with, they you should certainly give Dream Evil a try. Spin Evilized a couple of times, and just see if you don't find yourself singing along the second time around. It's worth a couple of listens just to experience this phenomenon.
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