Divided We Fall – Dreamcrusher
Divided We Fall
Dreamcrusher
Symphonic/Melodic Metal
Self-released 11 May 2014
After seeing this band at Dames of Darkness this year I was immediately impressed; it was a genuinely enjoyable performance. I have tried to listen to bits and bobs, here and there from them, in between my stupidly long “new music” playlist, and from what I have heard, I’ve been reasonably entertained. Now I’ve had the chance to listen to their debut album Dreamcrusher, I can give some semblance of a coherent opinion about it. Anyway, after listening to it several times all the way through, I can honestly say, it’s very good, there’s nothing groundbreaking though. If you’re not into melodic/symphonic metal this album does very little to change your mind in that regard. However for the fans of the genre, this is a well put together record with some decent tunes on it.
Opening on the title track Dreamcrusher you get a good sense of the tone of album you are going to get and that carries on throughout the record. It has a power metal vibe to it and the keys/synth create an awesome atmosphere and adds a lighter sound to the heavy metal, making an interesting contrast. Philippa Ricketts vocals are absolutely beautiful, having a lot of texture and power giving the lyrics great depth and weight. There a lot of interestingt melodies created by Lee Mulcahu on keyboard which are backed up with the impressive guitar rhythms and basslines. So for casual listeners this album is very approachable, but for a more demanding music lover, there’s a rich atmosphere and a lot of subtlety that makes this a very pleasant listening experience. There are some killer tracks on this album, my favourites being so far, A Date With Darkness, Escaping Wonderland, Dream My Life Away and the awesome Until I Win, which all have a nice sound and the lyrics are well written and interesting.
However, like I said before, there is nothing on this record that stretches the boundaries, and maybe it’s not meant to. I feel though, that a first album is the time to test the water and experiment a bit, at the end of the day though, the people who are going to like this music are going to like it and vise versa.
Overall, this is a really good album and I’m enjoying it. With substantial writing, production, heavy melodies and an atmospheric tone this is one really fun album. It’s well written and you can tell have worked hard to create a debut that will impress and it does. I would say it’s one to pick up if you’re interested.
3.5/5
Mick Birchall
Valkyrian Music 
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