DREAMING – II
- Posted on 28-05-2011
There is nothing like a retro metal band when the nostalgia hits home. This year has already been blessed with the magnificent 70’s retro release “Hisingen Blues” by Graveyard, and Dreaming isn’t far behind. Where Graveyard ventured into Led Zeppelin territory, Dreaming takes up the legacy of Black Sabbath and Pentagram, with a dash of their own melodic signature and identity.
When it comes to riffing and production this the album is definitely in the Black Sabbath landscape. On the track “Blurred Truth” it is as if Mr. Iommi himself is wielding the axe. But there is lots of variation on the album as well. Take “The Summer of the Horse”, for instance, with its longer instrumental parts, its proto-growling and intentional sour guitar licks. The tempo is mostly mid to slow though. Sometimes I hear parallels to their excellent retro doom colleagues in Lamp of Thoth.
The singing is what took most getting used to for me. Coupled with the almost punk-reminiscent melodic lines it did take some time for this to stick. The track “Creeping Forward” sounds like Johnny Rotten auditioning for Black Sabbath. It sounds like Sex Pistols went in studio, but incidentally mixed their meth with H. What they perceived to be a full throttle punk anthem ended up sounding like vinyl played at the wrong speed. Though this is not consistent with the remaining tracks, it is definitely an odd curiosity.
Dreaming definitely deserves some attention. Their music has got what it takes. It is retro, yet not derivative. They simply apply classic sound and style to their own melodic construct. It is fresh and nostalgic at the same time. If Bigelf, Ghost, Devil or Graveyard caters to your preferences, there is no reason to not dive into the musical landscapes of Dreaming.