This just in: slammin' virtuoso metal band arrives from Budapest! If you've got a hankering for superior progressive metal, heavy on the chops, then Dreyelands is what you crave. This Hungarian quartet thunders high-energy meticulous rock with a touch of gothic flavor. Each member (and a session keyboard player) gets his chance to shine on the band's debut Rooms Of Revelation.
The first track on Rooms is a minute and a half of reverb-soaked footsteps and creaking doors called “Entering.” Ok, so it's not replacing The Wall as rock's greatest concept record. Just let the fact that all the song titles begin with a room number (“Room 1: Seek For Salvation,” “Room 2: Can't Hide Away,” etc.) give you a chuckle and forget the concept. Think of it as eight burnin' metal tunes with lyrics about personal stuff. Any classic Metallica album could fit that description. If you make a detailed study of the lyrics and find an overarching theme I missed, please let me know. I focused more on the band's stupendous musical skill.
Guitarist András Ádám Horváth shreds more before breakfast than most guitarists do all day, and vocalist Nikola Mijic's dark, operatic voice hits high notes that'll send your beagle scampering under the nearest bed. Mijic sounds like a cross between Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. It's a potent mix. He is gritty and a little bluesy but crystal clear when he soars to the top of his huge range. Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Whitesnake are listed as influences on their Myspace page, but I also hear Judas Priest, Faith No More, Van Halen, and even Pantera.
These guys are champs in the studio, too. The songs have enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. “Room 3: Pretending” stands out because of a rhythmic breakdown in the middle. Most of the instruments drop out, leaving room for an extended synthesizer solo. It started out killer, but the cliché synth sound and some of the keyboard player's ideas had me asking “Yanni? Is that you?” He does a better job with the tasteful solo in “Can't Hide Away.” Tightly executed guitar, bass, and drums form a familiar foundation throughout the album, while layers of acoustic piano, assorted synths, and the occasional string quartet enrich the band's sound. The extra time they must have spent in the studio was well worth it.
There's not much bad news to report either. The grim vibe of this genre gets a little tiresome after 50 minutes, but a commitment to gravity is a badge of honor for a metal band. I'd love to hear the mood ebb and flow more. Even still, Rooms Of Revelations is a triumph of prog-metal artistry and I recommend it.
Best Tracks: Can't Hide Away, Pretending
June 7, 2010
