- Konu Sahibi Konu Sahibi
- #181
Sea of Tranquility
In my Sea of Tranquility review of Dreamtone's 2003 demo, Unforeseen Reflections, I made the bizarre statement that if Robert Smith of The Cure fronted a metal, the result would probably sound something like Turkey's Dreamtone. Well, those Cure influences are all but gone on Sojourn, the band's official debut disc. And although the album is not slated for release until early 2006, the band has fired up its promotional vehicle early and already mailed review copies to some of the world's best metal media outlets …
The big surprise this time is hearing Shadow Gallery guitarist/keyboardist Gary Wehrkamp narrating the tale of a deceived angel in search of peace and family. While Wehrkamp's six segments, placed between 11 songs, were recorded at lower volume than the music and seriously impede the album's flow, Dreamtone must be doing something right in order to convince the man to get involved in this when there's a new Shadow Gallery album to promote. (Wehrkamp also has lent himself to projects helmed by Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Trent Gardner in the past.) Dreamtone's sound differs from those bands, but Sojourn does pull influences from Blind Guardian, Symphony X, Dream Theater, In Flames and Iced Earth. The band's musicians are on par with the players in those bands, and vocalist Oganalp Canatan has improved immensely. He doesn't yelp as much as he did on Unforeseen Reflections, and his words are more audible despite an increased reliance on more aggressive and thrash-like delivery styles.
Sojourn takes several spins to fully grasp, although I'm sure the final version's booklet will include plot details and reprinted lyrics. Unfortunately, it appears as if Sojourn will be released independently by the band - a shame, really, considering how much effort Dreamtone obviously put into both its demo and this record. Maybe a few more lyrical and musical hooks will help these guys score a deal next time …
3.5/5
In my Sea of Tranquility review of Dreamtone's 2003 demo, Unforeseen Reflections, I made the bizarre statement that if Robert Smith of The Cure fronted a metal, the result would probably sound something like Turkey's Dreamtone. Well, those Cure influences are all but gone on Sojourn, the band's official debut disc. And although the album is not slated for release until early 2006, the band has fired up its promotional vehicle early and already mailed review copies to some of the world's best metal media outlets …
The big surprise this time is hearing Shadow Gallery guitarist/keyboardist Gary Wehrkamp narrating the tale of a deceived angel in search of peace and family. While Wehrkamp's six segments, placed between 11 songs, were recorded at lower volume than the music and seriously impede the album's flow, Dreamtone must be doing something right in order to convince the man to get involved in this when there's a new Shadow Gallery album to promote. (Wehrkamp also has lent himself to projects helmed by Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Trent Gardner in the past.) Dreamtone's sound differs from those bands, but Sojourn does pull influences from Blind Guardian, Symphony X, Dream Theater, In Flames and Iced Earth. The band's musicians are on par with the players in those bands, and vocalist Oganalp Canatan has improved immensely. He doesn't yelp as much as he did on Unforeseen Reflections, and his words are more audible despite an increased reliance on more aggressive and thrash-like delivery styles.
Sojourn takes several spins to fully grasp, although I'm sure the final version's booklet will include plot details and reprinted lyrics. Unfortunately, it appears as if Sojourn will be released independently by the band - a shame, really, considering how much effort Dreamtone obviously put into both its demo and this record. Maybe a few more lyrical and musical hooks will help these guys score a deal next time …
3.5/5
