In Thy Dreams
Highest Beauty
6.7
What better way to start the week after our "Album Of The Year" special than to dissect yet another melodic death metal album from a band based in Sweden. Yeah, I know. It's either Sweden or Norway these days; take your pick. To get right down to the nitty gritty here, this band is doing absolutely nothing new. Not only that, but the music (not the vocals) sounds like it could have been stolen right off the masterful Slaughter Of The Soul album by At The Gates (not all of it, but at least a riff or 20). Another band that In Thy Dreams reminds me of is Carnal Forge, and why shouldn't they? Three out of the five members are in Carnal Forge. Also, the recordings on both recent releases were done at the same place, and with the exception of the vocals, the music is very similar. This leads me to my question of the day. Why not put out a double CD and name it Please Die In Thy Dreams under the name of Carnal Beauty? The answer is simple. The vocals on both discs are totally different. The vocals on this release touch on the style of Thomas Lindberg (formerly At The Gates/currently in The Crown). With many vocalists in today's scene touching on this overused style, many don't receive positive recognition due to a lack of one element or another. I assure you that Thomas Lindfors (not Lindberg) has done an amazing job at incorporating Lindberg's (not Lindfor) patented deathish style into his own. Even though Stefan Westerberg is in both In Thy Dreams and Carnal Forge, the style he uses here is a bit different especially in the speed department. With the drumming on Please...Die! containing many thrashy influences, Highest Beauty is more on the slower death/groove side of things. Believe me, the fast parts do exist, but there are a lot more breakdowns. The Kuusisto brothers definitely prove that their playing is tight even with Petri taking over bass duties and Hakan Stuvemark opposite Jari on the 2nd guitar. The combination of these impressive individuals is one of excellence and so are the songs on this release even if there are no surprises. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that with metal having existed as long as it has it is almost impossible to come up with an original sound. Like everything in life, the standard gets set and we learn and feed from that standard. Therefore, things always turn out being somewhat reminiscent of that standard. With that being said, there are times when we as listeners need to realize that and not be so critical of what we hear. Easier said than done. At any rate, as I've listened to Highest Beauty several times over the past week or so, I could not help but be reminded of the aforementioned bands as well as some I haven't brought up. Does this mean this is a bad album? Hell no! This album is actually quite good, but if you're sick and tired of hearing bands following in the footsteps of Slaughter Of The Soul years after it's birth, then you'll be disappointed here. However, if this is the sound that you lust after to feed your metal needs then you will love this album.
6.3
Within the sheer numbers of metal bands that have surfaced within the last ten years the overlapping and meshing of sounds from band to band seems to becoming almost a bit to frequent. The excellent musicianship seems to stand strong but the actual original factor within the many releases is definitely beginning to fade. In an industry saturated with stellar musicians one would think finding a few key elements to distinguish your band from the next would be top priority. In Thy Dreams latest release Highest Beauty contains all the environmental factors that today's metal should consume. Large vocals, rich guitar structures, and of course principal drumming. The right mix of speed and groove-crush topped with melodic passages. Here's the problem; we have all heard this done before. Executed in the exact same fashion by so many other bands. A few that come to mind would have to be At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork and of course Carnal Forge. With Jari Kuusisto and Stefan Westerberg playing within both, In Thy Dreams and Carnal Forge. Which leads me right to the question. Why would you have a side project that sounds precisely like your main project? I understand musicians wanting to broaden their horizons within several projects but generally there is a difference from one to the other. This is not the case here. You might as well name this band "In Thy Carnal Dreams." Upon my first listen of Highest Beauty I was immediately impressed. Again I say all the metal necessities are delivered. After repeated listens though it began to lose its novelty and lack of originality began to rear its ugly head. If I was to hear this band before the others that I have named above. You would be reading a completely different review but such is not the case. In a time when so much metal is being written and recorded the melding of sounds is inevitable. Christ, I would have to say at this point yes, it has all been done. It's the interpretations of the musicians, song structures and diverse attacks that keep metal novel. Without disparate intricacies the final product will always end up on the shelf off mediocre. Bottom Line: In Thy Dreams do jam the crush but in a time when their particular sound is becoming a bit overplayed it's hard to give them the heads up as far as a great review.
