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Rating: A piece of advice for those who think that power metal is a genre exclusively reserved for overly festive bands akin to some sort of Cugini di Campagna on a trip to Germany, or to baroque, orchestral, pompous, and tiresome groups: listen to this record. Year 2005: Thomen/Thomas Stauch, the powerful drummer of Blind Guardian, who probably got tired of accompanying the hyper-symphonic music of the latest releases by his bard colleagues and, due to disturbances such as gagging, flatulence, and irresistible diarrheal urges, left the band in 2005 to return to playing direct, fast, raw, pounding power-speed, also melodic but not excessively, which thrilled him so much when he played during the golden era of the Guardian. So, our hero calls upon Piet Sielck and Yenz Leonhardt, respectively guitarist and bassist of Iron Savior (a hardcore power-metal band in which the legendary Kai Hansen once played, and which I naturally recommend everyone to listen to), and 2 young Swedes from Persuader: Jens Carlsson, singer, and Emil Norberg, another guitarist. The guys work hard and in no time produce this exceptional album: Dreamland Manor. The sound is compared by many of the few who know of this band's existence to that of Blind Guardian in the '90s, and some of these critics accuse the members of the Wild Circus of being just a copy of the Teutonic band. Indeed, it’s difficult to distinguish Jens Carlsson’s singing from that of the much more famous Hansi Kürsch, and certain riffs and choruses surely bring to mind albums like Imaginations From The Other Side, but that doesn’t mean the album should be poorly judged. If the Bards of Krefeld had released this record instead of A Twist in the Myth, many would have hailed it as a masterpiece and wouldn’t have accused them of being a band in decline. In Dreamland Manor, indeed, all the songs, some more than others, are enjoyable and there is no flaw or drop in tone that would prevent giving the fateful five stars to the album. Among the 9 songs, I highlight these as the best: Evil Eyes, the opening track, fast, aggressive and never banal, supported by a fantastic drumming work, Between The Devil And The Seas and Tomorrowland, which besides the usual power-speed pace contain truly exceptional choruses for melody and vocal power expressed, and finally I also recommend Beyond Reality, the ballad of the album, melodic and engaging.
In conclusion, I hope I have recommended you a good record and, God willing, see you in the next review.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Evil Eyes (06:58)
Beaten, defeated and grinded to dust
The flame of life extinct
Legions of death
Have left their grim imprint
Nothing is like it's been before
Blinded by the light
Crossing the land
In everlasting night
Paralyzed in pain, what will remain?
Will existence rise again?
Paralyzed in pain, the will to live's remaining
Ah, it will remain
Life and death embrace in the morning
Shadows of the final dawing
Night is falling down forever
Evil eyes are staring at the world
Fires of hell melted the soil
Ashes waste the ground
Headstones of rubble
Mark the burial mound
The demon awoke in the blink of an eye
Swallosing the sun
With devastating, scorching breath
A new age's just begun
Creature of the night
Swallowing the light
Hammering his claws into the ground
Evil is unleashed
Unbound, unbound
Evil, evil
Is unleashed, unleashed
Life and death embrace in the morning
Shadows of the final dawing
Night is falling down forever
Evil eyes are staring at the world
What is the answer to it all?
When mighty empires going to fall
Where will we go? What is to come
And what will be?
When the night is falling down
No one can foresee
Now I'm going beyond
I'm on my way to the other side
Will the evil spirit prevail?
Will it wait for me
At the other side?
Paralyzed in pain, what will remain?
Will existence rise again?
Paralyzed in pain, the will to live's remaining
Ah, it will remain
Life and death embrace in the morning
Shadows of the final dawing
Night is falling down forever
Evil eyes are staring at the world
03 Waltz of the Demon (06:56)
Silence, so strange, but yet familiar
Illusions abducting me
Delusions haunting me
Whispers
Inside my very mind
Sweet subduction is taking on the guide
Drifting on and away
Into the abyss of my very soul
I'm losing control
Taking a ride into the unknown
Fantasies twisting my mind
Wonders to see and horrors to find
The gates are open wide
Inviting me, exciting me
Drain me with joy and despair
The demon awakes, reality brakes*
Drawing me into the lair
Here in my mind there's so much to find
Shadow and night are merging tonight
[Prebridge:]
Riding high
On wings of illusion up to the sky
Abducted into a dream
Where no one will hear my scream
[Bridge:]
Fire and ice
Deluded or wise
Good or bad
Sane or mad
[Chorus:]
Pain and pleasure is burning me up
Making me lose control
Demons are dancing inside of my mind
Reaching out for my soul
Restless drifter between the worlds
A merry-go-round in my head
Gifted, possessed, cursed or blessed?
Passing away into dread
Misleading me, enchanting me
Leaving the riddles behind
Conjuring up visions and dreams
Pleading to find peace of mind
Unlock the gate
My way to escape
Give me the key
I want to be free
[Prebridge]
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
[Prebrige]
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
04 Tomorrowland (06:26)
Grey is the sky and cold is the wind
Shadows dancing inside of my room
Make them go away
Leave me alone
Endless days and lonely nights
In solitude, removed from the world
That surrounded me
Feel like I'm fading away
Fading away
Sometimes I wish I could dive just in
One of those fairy tales
A world full of secrets and magic
So many wonders to unveil
Send me a child
[Chorus:]
On the tale of a falling star
On the quest for Tomorrowland
I close my eyes and I make a wish
Bring me home to Tomorrowland
Tired and weakened I barely exist
Seeing the world through a blurry mist
Let me go
I want to be in that distant land
Where I'd be riding on a white horse
Saving my princess from harm
I'll be a hero courageous and bold
Holding her in my arms
I'd be the golden knight
At gallop I'd come along
I would be racing the winds
I would be strong
Once upon a time
[Chorus]
Now darkness is falling down
By the break of dawn I'll be gone
My touch is now cold
But I'm not afraid
I'll be on the way
The way to escape
I'm hearing the hoof beats
My armour will shine
Once upon a time
[Chorus]
05 It - The Gathering (06:14)
What am I doing here?
What is the reason for my fear?
Something vicious buried in black
Rising up, it's coming back
Long forgotten evil's drawing near
Hidden down below
It stood the test of time and now it's here
No loss of memories protecting me no more
Seven bound to the oath
Hold on forgetful
That brought us back, coming here
To end it once and for all
Hand in hand, we're going to stand
Together again, to carry out
What must be done
The final chapter has begun
Now we're going back in time
To fulfil the mission to seal the mine
In the underworld of the sewage pipes
The tunnels bare of light
Mortal fear makes me shiver to the bone
Down below, I'm not alone
Seven minds and but a single thought
Seven vowed to return
Seven versus the evil beast
To finally get released
A devil in disguise of a clown
Is preying on the children of the town
No loss of memories protecting me no more
Seven bound to the oath
Hold on forgetful
That brought us back, coming here
To end it once and for all
Hand in hand, we're going to stand
Together again, to carry out
What must be done
The final chapter has begun
Now we're at the gateway to the devil's lair
Behind a torturous light I can feel it stare
It is awaiting like spider in the web
Seven against you now, the final attack
No loss of memories, the gathering is fulfilled
Seven bound to the oath
Hold on forgetful
That brought us back, coming here
To end it once and for all
Hand in hand, we're going to stand
Together again, to carry out
What must be done
The final chapter has begun
07 When Hell Awakes (07:33)
Out in the woods, unspoken horror of
Ancient malignance awakes
Leaving its hideout to please the hunger
Following the winds of the north
The winds of the north
Cursed is the woodlands and cursed is thy land
The edge of the forest is marking
The line to the ground of red
So violent and vicious, so cruel and malign
Once there was peace and silence around
A valley of green under skies so blue
All is lost, children are raised
With tales of fear and tales about you
I need a miracle
Crimson eyes are burning
In the darkness of the woods
I must bring deliverance
Oh if I only could
When hell awakes
In the gardens inside of my heart
Unholy embrace
It's killing the innocence
Demons are rising, they're haunting my soul
The devil is laughing, he's seeking control
There's a poisoned thorn
In the gardens inside my heart
When hell awakes
This was the land of the golden seas
Freedom and light surrounding me
Now I'm aware that nothing is forever
A darkening mist infected our soil
Ages has past since I drew my first breath
The future was turning in the absence of death
Evil is rising, I saw its rebirth
Paradise, now it's hell on earth
What is the key to relock this door?
What is the cause, there must be more
Stories told in the ancient fore
Oh, it has happened before
Crimson eyes are burning
In the darkness of the woods
I must bring deliverance
Oh if I only could
When hell awakes
In the gardens inside of my heart
Unholy embrace
It's killing the innocence
Demons are rising, they're haunting my soul
The devil is laughing, he's seeking control
There's a poisoned thorn
In the gardens inside my heart
When hell awakes
I have been standing the test of time
Here I am now, this life is mine
Throughout the woods into the darkest night
I'm on the way to end this mortal fight
I have the clue, the certain sign
The moon is full and the stars align
Bearer of sorrow, sealer of fate
I'm taking it back, it's never too late
Crimson eyes are burning
In the darkness of the woods
I must bring deliverance
Oh if I only could
When hell awakes
In the gardens inside of my heart
Unholy embrace
It's killing the innocence
Demons are rising, they're haunting my soul
The devil is laughing, he's seeking control
There's a poisoned thorn
In the gardens inside my heart
When hell awakes
When hell awakes
In the gardens inside of my heart
Unholy embrace
It's killing the innocence
Demons are rising, they're haunting my soul
The devil is laughing, he's seeking control
There's a poisoned thorn
In the gardens inside my heart
When hell awakes
08 Ghost Story (07:05)
When the clock strikes the hour
My restless soul has to rise
Unsubstantial, bare of flesh
Chained by unsacred ties
Centuries come, millenniums go
Time has no meaning
So much pain, I'm longing for peace
To find a way to redeem
All alone, I'm walking in the night
Solitude smiles at me in despite
Between the worlds of life and death
A spectre damned to exist
To make amends for my deeds of sin
Done with ferocity long ago
In another time
In another life
Unforgotten
Unforgiven
[Chorus:]
Immortal, punished to be
Nocturnal prison in eternity
Forever banished, banned from the day
Within these walls I have to remain
The immortal ghost
Once I walked beneath the sun
In a distant past where it all begun
Nevermore will I see her again
Enamoured by the chain
Nightbound
Hear my sigh
Eternal rest; let me die
Let me die
[Chorus]
Once again the clock
Is striking the hour
Once again
I have to rise
Once again I'm walking the night
End the pain, let me die
Let me die
[Chorus]
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