Artist: Into Eternity
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 9/3/02
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Title: Dead or Dreaming Artist: Into Eternity Label: Century Media Release Date: 9/3/02 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Alright, the first thing that hit me when I first sat down to listen to this disc is that I was sure I'd heard it before. I don't know where or how, but I've definitely spent some time with this one. I don't know if it was in a drunken stupor in some hotel room at a metalfest or if, well, it was in some drunken stupor somewhere else, but I've definitely heard it before. Which bodes well for them, that fact alone makes the band undeniably memorable.
"The most remarkable aspect to the band are the vocal lines." Into Eternity are a mix of prog metal, power, thrash, death, well you get it, pretty much everything is represented to some degree. The most remarkable aspect to the band, however, are the vocal lines. The band employs multiple singers that harmonize most of the time, but degrade into screams and growls every so often. The music seems almost ancillary at times, something almost unthinkable when it comes to prog rock, and this turns out to be the band's greatest asset or greatest weakness.
I don't dislike this band by any stretch of the imagination, and I respect what they're doing, but, in all honesty, I find this release a bit tedious. With all of the different influences that this band draws upon, I would look for a much more far-reaching sound than it is. Bottom line is that this album strikes me as one-dimensional. For instance: the vocals, which seem to be the centerpiece in every song, go from growling to clean harmonies. Sounds like it should be quite interesting, huh? Well it is, until you realize that every harmony on every song sound damn similar. I've never heard a band with this much going on sound the same on almost every track. Sure, the melodies are different, and there are differences here and there, but this album just strikes me as monotonous.
"They seem to be trying to branch out and spread their wings, but they also seem creatively bound." This is unfortunate, because a lot of what they've got going on here is pretty interesting, but they just end up beating it into the ground. While I expect a certain degree of familiarity between songs in some genres (death and black for instance), I can't really defend it from a band like this. They seem to be trying to branch out and spread their wings, but they also seem creatively bound. That's not to say there is no hope, however, this band is still pretty young and has tons of potential. They are technically adept and offer interesting and complicated song structures. This is one hell of a base to work with.
Those of you who don't think you'd mind a whole bunch of different songs containing the same base sound (albeit a damn good sound), should love this one. To their credit, there is really no one else out there that sounds like these guys, and there is no doubt that these guys are really into what they are doing, you can hear that right on the record. I just find the songs melding into a big mush of three-part harmonies. From the "Endless sorrow, No Tomorrow" part of "Absolution of the Soul," to the "Walk through the fields of the dead" part of "Unholy," it just strikes me as too emotionally one-sided. But, aside from that one gripe, this is a very solid record.
Death's Review:
"Massive potential" are the two words that first come to mind in describing my take on Into Eternity at this juncture of the band's development. The band, hailing from somewhere in Canada, does have a prior underground release, but this new album, their first for Century Media, is probably their grand introduction to most of the world. Dead or Dreaming reveals a band with an unique vision and an extraordinary combination of styles brought to bear in the pursuit of something totally original yet still completely within the bounds of heavy metal. It is not often enough that a band can achieve this balance, and Into Eternity should be applauded for their ability to strike a new chord in the metal underground.
"Dead or Dreaming reveals a band with an unique vision and an extraordinary combination of styles brought to bear in the pursuit of something totally original yet still completely within the bounds of heavy metal."
Musically, Into Eternity are like Dream Theater and Fates Warning combined with classic thrash elements like we once heard coming from bands like Sanctuary; then combined with some interesting European death metal elements and seriously gutteral growls and screaming combined again with beautiful and powerful clean vocals and multiple vocal harmonies. Into Eternity are not exactly a prog outfit, coming across more like Iron Maiden (you can actually hear the bass player!) than Dream Theater in the sheer musicianship department. Instead, they deliver crunchy riffs, lots of dynamics and variations in sound and style (think Opeth to get a sense of the way the band moves from beautiful to brutal, all in the same song), all in service of a classic heavy metal approach that never strays too far from that core focus.
"What comes across on paper as one of the most original and interesting sounding albums in a long while ends up being merely a "very good" listening experience." A classic formula, right? Well, almost. What comes across on paper as one of the most original and interesting sounding albums in a long while ends up being merely a "very good" listening experience. What is frustrating is that the band is simply not all of the way there yet in developing this sound and style. Something tells me that, with focus, hard work, determination, money, touring experience and a bit more aggression channeled into the songs, the next Into Eternity album will be the one that has everyone shitting their pants and anointing these guys gods. Maybe it's even the album after that. But this one isn't it. This is good stuff, and it indeed gets better with every listen. Into Eternity have all of the talent in the world, have brought all of the right influences to bear and have an interesting style that really deserves your attention. Sometimes it is even the details, like the band's penchant for locking in on a cool repetition of a sick-ass riff, that makes me think these guys would be fun to jam with or see live and are certainly on the road to something truly special. For now, you should notice and absorb Dead or Dreaming, not only because it is a very cool album, but because you want to already have reserved yourself a first-class seat on the Into Eternity bandwagon by the time their next, more developed record comes out.
Hel's Review:
Into Eternity is one of those bands that tempts you to describe them in terms of other bands - like x meets y meets z. I, however, am going to resist this impulse, as I know that at least one of my co-reviews will cover that ground adequately for me. Instead, we will discuss them in more general terms.
"The true backbone of this band is the guitars."
"The key word in relation to this band would be 'harmony.'" They combine melodic and progressive instrumentation with a combination of clean and death vocals. For the most part, they lean most heavily toward clean vocals, with the death vox only used occasionally as an accent. There is a great deal of vocal harmonization within the clean vocal sections, and a noticeable amount of keyboard use as well. But the true backbone of this band is the guitars. These generally attack in tandem, with great doses of melody. The drumming is, overall, very straightforward.
The key word in relation to this band would be "harmony." This is the theme that runs through each and every song, regardless of the pace or structure of the individual song - there is always harmony to be found. And really, what more is there? It's a beautiful message, don't you think? But seriously, this is a great band, particularly if you're looking for something you can both sing along to, and play air guitar with.
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