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| A review of our May 12, 2007 show by Sonny Durdock: Click here for show review |
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PERSEPHONE'S DREAM - "Pyre Of Dreams" CD '07 (Private, US) - Funny how just the name of a band can take you back to a particular time. The first thing I thought about when Of Sound Mind's Chris Lamka told me about the new P DREAM disc was the Powermad Festivals that took place several years back at the Tall Cedars Hall in Parkville MD. Granted, the promotion was shaky & only a handful of souls turned out at each of these but Maryland was hardly a metal hotbed in the late '90's/early '00's. On the other hand, the line-ups, the bands I got to see in an intimate setting was staggering: among tons there were Manilla Road, Jag Panzer, Wardog, Jack Starr and yes, Pennsylvania's PERSEPHONE'S DREAM. While the term "prog metal" often sends many running for cover, fearful of being pelted to death by raining arpeggios & rabid packs of 7/4 time signatures, PD rose above all that to make music that took my breath away & I'll say that their performance at Powermad (coinciding with the release of their "Opposition") CD was right up there with that of anybody. Around that time, I'd corresponded a bit with guitarist Rowen Poole & recall a cool conversation with him at that show, which culminated in him handing me a copy of said "Opposition," getting a brief introduction to some of his family who'd come to witness the gig, etc. It was one of those totally cool moments you always remember in this field. Anyway, time went by, things went on & I lost touch with what was up with Rowen Poole & PERSEPHONE'S DREAM until just a few weeks ago when I stopped in to see my buddy Mr. Lamka & he directed this brand new disc my way. To say it was a surprise was the understatement of the year. To say I'm surprised by it's excellence is not, as this band just continues to get better. PERSEPHONE'S DREAM, you see, are most surely not progressive in the sense of trying to wow the listener with note-per-second, spazzed-out time changes or dissonance for the sake of being artsy. But, they are absolutely progressive as hell when it comes to writing songs that are utterly different & captivating in both the musical & lyrical sense. This is not a band who are "heavy" in the crushing-riff sense of the word. What they are heavy in is atmosphere and feeling. Check out "Synesthesia," "Nightfall" or the multi-part "Temple In Time", PERSEPHONE'S DREAM's most ambitious work thusfar. Distorted guitars exist, but in support of lush melodies, deft-yet-tempered playing and gorgeous female vocals, a wonderful pallette on which the song becomes the piece of art. Other favourites include the sci-fi-laden of "Alien Embassy" and the erotic "Aphrodite." Truly, Heidi Engel's vocal performance here is one of the most utterly sensual I've ever heard & I would recommend most men not listen to it while driving or operating heavy machinery! In all, "Pyre Of Dreams" is simply a great album by a band who's continued to get better every step of the way & it comes highly recommended from these quarters! - Ray Dorsey, Chaos Realm - July 2007 |
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