"dreams" is the opening track. at the start we have dual guitars with a slightly weak tone and a slight timing issue. "dreams" (the album as a whole) switches between two varied vocal styles - a gravelly 'death metal' vocal and a 'normal' 'power/prog metal' vocal for want of better descriptions which makes for an interesting mix. - i'm not sure if the 'normal' vocal is slightly weak or just mixed too low. this song is quite slow in places and the drumming quite 'basic' until the end of the song; its quite a mismatched song but is interesting as an opener. there is a stand out chunky riff section that i really like which is repeated once or twice.
"dark glowing" has a strange (we're attempting ethereal) but nice opening before the guitars with a nice tonality kick in. this again is quite a slow track and while the drumming is again 'basic' (and doesn't overpower the song) there are some interesting fills and rolls and some very good blast beats. we switch again between the vocal and an interesting moment where we are treated to a duet (there should be more of this). there is some interesting 'piano' work on this track which doesn't overpower and plays us out very nicely.
"purple mantis" (!) is opened by harpsichord and piano before some blast beats and low in the mix/overpowered by the 'synth' work guitar comes in; the guitar work clashes a little in places but there is a really cool riff section in the middle that i really enjoyed. i did not like the inclusion of 'clarinet/oboe' - the choice is too harsh but it lasts only for a moment. this is a mid tempo song with a lot of different 'sections' some of which work and some don't which makes for a weird song overall - perhaps too many ideas and perhaps its a little too long.
i thought "rain, wash my tears" would have a sadder feel. it starts off quite sad but its mid tempo. there is some interesting guitar work which is a bit harsh at times but overall has a nice tonality. the piano/synth chosen also has a nice tonality and floats throughout the song well. the drumming is again a little 'basic' but has good rolls and fills and therefore doesn't overpower the song. perhaps this would of been a good song to experiment with a vocal duet; the 'normal' vocals are low in the mix. there is a nice instrumental/piano which fades out but its quite harsh transition and we're left in the rain a little too long at the very end of the track.
the fifth track "wave" has a great slightly 'distorted' guitar opening before a little piano kicks in. the 'normal' vocal doesn't seem to have much range and begins to sound the same in every song. there is a limited bassline in this song (but at least it can be heard !) there is some nice guitar work through the faster sections of the song and the guitar tone is great on this track and i really liked the 'mirror' of the 'distorted' guitar for the opening and closing of this song. the drum work is once again not overly complex but is still a strong part of (all) of the songs.
a strong kick drum and a quiet (at first), strong guitar riff work opens "love overdose". this song has song of the stronger/chunkier guitar riffs of the album but they seem to be mixed quite low in places. the 'lead' guitar has a nice tonality but the piano chosen is a little 'tinny'. this song doesn't have many lyrics and not the best vocal performance or mix of the album and as a whole this track is a little disjointed - again too many ideas and an overeagerness to use them all.
"bring back the sun" is the shortest of the eight songs and is the heaviest at the start. the last two thirds are a bit 'power/prog metal' and the two haven't quite blended together for this track - its an odd decision to make. there is some strong drumming at the start and some chunky riffs but it isn't quite mixed right - it all seems a bit low. when it gets slower the guitar tonality is nice and we're back to 'basic' drumming. its very disjointed for such a short song.
i really like the distorted guitars for the opening of "inner circle"; its almost perfect doom and is one of my favourite parts of the entire album. while the drumming is sparse it is some of the best of the album - perhaps it could have come up a bit in the mix. the song continues into a 'power/prog' section and then into an 'ambient' section; the transitions are a little odd - would of preferred if it stopped after the two minutes of doom ! (or continued/expanded it !) its an odd instrumental to close the album with.
"dreams" by Sadael is almost a great release. it has all been played well and for the most part is mixed well; there are one or two instances where the vocal or guitar is mixed too low and some of the transitions between genres can be abrupt. it is the mixture of styles that keeps this interesting and will make it stand out. there are some really nice chunky riffs to headbang to scattered through the tracks and some standout riffs but these can be quite brief and that is a little disappointing from a listener's point of view. the songs are bursting with ideas perhaps sadael should leave one or two for the next track and use these 'standout' moments during a song more often ! the vocals could do with a bit more power and/or better mixing; the gravelly vocal is the stronger but could do with a bit more grrr ! there is for the most part a nice tonality to the guitars and making use of lead and rhythm guitars adds another layer to the songs. the drums while not overly complex are a strong part of this album; there are some nice blast beats and great rolls and fills. some of the synth work/soundbank choices are a little harsh and hollow in their tonality but have been played well.
this is an album of a good length about 45 minutes with enough variation to hold your attention. i would recommend this album however and look forward to hearing new (and old) material from Sadael.
Source - Funereal Drone