Chained
Dark Dreams

LA RECENSIONE

The band Chained takes shape in Parma in 2011, driven by a passion for everything the U.S. alternative rock scene has offered mostly from 2000 to today. We're talking about bands like Stone Sour, Godsmack, Creed, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, and so on. Despite five years of existence, the band reaches its long-awaited debut only today with "Dark Dreams," an album of eight tracks that showcases a certain skill in songwriting and all those aspects that give "form" to a song (see recording, production...). Compared to the aforementioned names, however, Chained has primarily focused on the more melodic tones of the genre itself, leaving their heavy vein as a supporting actor. A certainly fitting choice if you consider the vocal performance of their frontman, who is definitely more comfortable in these environments, aiming mainly to offer clean vocals that will surely help the group with its potential singles ("Everything Is Fire," "Blood") to perhaps find radio airplay. Is all this enough to make "Dark Dreams" an album with the necessary attributes to stand out from the crowd?! In my opinion, not entirely, because on one hand, we find a seasoned project capable of writing good songs, but on the other hand, there's always that bitter aftertaste that makes you think that fundamentally these Chained were not willing to take any risks, tending to their own garden and nothing more. Five years of apprenticeship are not few, and perhaps precisely for this reason, I would have appreciated more something that went against the grain, maybe going off the beaten path, but still daring. A completely personal consideration that does not affect the overall good work, making "Dark Dreams" a solid and very enjoyable album for those who want to be on the safe side when it comes to alternative rock with a typical American flavor.