Dreamshade

What Silence Hides

Written by: PP on 01/05/2011 03:57:56

Everything about Dreamshade screams modern Swedish melodeath. Their debut album "What Silence Hides" is full of slick lead guitar action, sweeping melodies, atmospheric keyboards and piano sections, not to even mention the screaming vocalist who has taken more than just a couple of cues from Anders Friden of In Flames fame. But surprisingly this six-piece originates from Switzerland instead, despite owning a sound that owes every single one of its details to the city of Gothenburg and its 90s metal music scene.

So you know exactly what to expect: a ton of twin guitar harmonies, dueling riffs, soaring choruses and the catchy songwriting that's quintessential if one is to survive in such a crowded genre as melodic death metal. Who they sound like is blatantly obvious: "As Serenity Falls" has a vintage Darkest Hour guitar lead as the heart of the song, which by extension means there are many similarities to later In Flames material (post-"Reroute To Remain"-era). Elsewhere, a dominant "Are You Dead Yet?"-era Children Of Bodom is prevalent, not to even mention bands like Norther, Enter My Silence or pretty much any clean and modern sounding melodeath band. It also means Dreamshade integrate lots of pop into their song structures. In fact, if it wasn't for the choice to steer clear of clean vocals entirely, the difference between them and, say, Dead By April would be minimal.

Though the quality of fretwork and the tactful inclusion of piano/keyboard melodies seamlessly into the melodeath platform is indisputable, Dreamshade still face one gargantuan problem on their debut: their audience has heard this very album, the same songs, these exact melodies, at least a hundred times before then. Fortunately, they do a good enough job in the riff department to convince most people who still pay attention to melodeath bands. It wouldn't be wrong to state that Dreamshade play melodic death metal exactly in the way it is meant to be played.

7

Download: What Silence Hides
For the fans of: In Flames, Children Of Bodom, Norther
Listen: Myspace

Release date 28.01.2011
Spinefarm Records / Universal



Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.