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░ ██ ██ Artist: Ice Dragon ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Dream Dragon █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-14 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Psychedelic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: PRC Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Dream Dragon, Ice Dragon's fifth full length █
█ album, was originally released independently by █
█ the band in July of 2012. PRC Music has been █
█ steadily working through Ice Dragon's back █
█ catalog, making their releases more widely █
█ available to the masses, and in September of 2014, █
█ they finally got around to reissuing Dream Dragon. █
█ While the band's previous albums have had █
█ psychedelic streaks and strong leanings towards █
█ classic rock, none have come anywhere close to the █
█ LSD-ridden plains of Dream Dragon. The band's █
█ prior releases all merged doom metal with █
█ psychedelics and classic rock sensibility, but █
█ Dream Dragon pretty much throws the doom out of █
█ the window. █
█ ôBeard of Thievesö is the heaviest track here, █
█ utilizing stoner rock riffing and rollicking █
█ rhythms, but it still shies away from the doom and █
█ gloom of their previous efforts. ôMore Than I Can █
█ Say for Youö also brings the stoner-isms in with █
█ full force, with dusty riffing and somewhat █
█ southern-tinged vocals. I'm not emphasizing the █
█ lack of doom because it's a bad thing, but it █
█ really is a complete one-eighty from their █
█ previous output. Despite a few tracks giving their █
█ nods to the likes of Kyuss, the rest of the album █
█ plays like one long acid trip. Prior albums showed █
█ the vocals of Ice Dragon very similar to that of █
█ Bobby Leibling or Ozzy Osbourne, and while traces █
█ are still here, the vocals tend to border on the █
█ likes of early King Crimson and Pink Floyd, █
█ although traces of Steppenwolf creep in at times, █
█ like on ôStumble Onto Magicö. █
█ Dream Dragon is truly a diverse album, as there █
█ are layers of sitars, mandolins, synths and hand █
█ percussion of all sorts, but it's not just the █
█ type of instruments involved that make this so █
█ diverse. Aside from sparking the stoner rock █
█ anthems, as previously mentioned, the rest of the █
█ album swaggers through levels of ephemeral █
█ psychedelic rock. Most of this album sounds like █
█ it came from the 60's, with trippy, flowing █
█ songwriting, such as the frail clean vocals, █
█ sparse percussion and writhing flutes at the █
█ beginning of ôDreamlinerö or the Jimi Hendrix █
█ styled chord embellishments alongside early King █
█ Crimson styled vocals on ôMaximum Tripö. Each █
█ track brings its own piece of psychedelia to the █
█ table, as the sitars and acoustic guitars on █
█ ôEvery Little Starö and the strumming chords mixed █
█ with keyboard patches on ôFor Once in My Lifeö █
█ showcase Ice Dragon's mastery of this realm. █
█ Ice Dragon's fifth full length is a trippy, █
█ ethereal experience. Despite the band's prior █
█ output residing firmly within the doom camp, Dream █
█ Dragon shrugs off the shackles and soars to the █
█ skies, apparently with the aid some mind altering █
█ substances. This is a cool album, as long as █
█ you're not expecting doom or, really, metal of any █
█ sort. This is a step back in quality from prior █
█ albums, but, in hindsight, it allowed for Ice █
█ Dragon to show the world that they are not to be █
█ pigeonholed into one curious little subgenre. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ This album is a big change in style for Ice █
█ Dragon. Their other albums are unique, but they're █
█ firmly planted in the genre of doom metal. Dream █
█ Dragon is much more stoner and █
█ psychedelic-oriented, and it works; just don't be █
█ expecting anything particularly heavy on this █
█ release. About half the songs are acoustic with a █
█ bunch of other instruments layered on (just look █
█ at the lineup for all the instruments they play). █
█ These are generally flute- and/or bass-driven, and █
█ they're very nice. The rest are of course based █
█ around an electric guitar, but there's little to █
█ no doom there at all, instead sounding most █
█ influenced by stoner and traditional metal. More █
█ Than I Can Say For You is as doomy as it gets. █
█ Starting off the album is Dreamliner, and with the █
█ dragon motif and its very laid back and happy █
█ flute-driven intro, there's no easier way to say █
█ this: this will make you think of Puff the Magic █
█ Dragon. With lyrics saying we should learn how to █
█ love instead of hate, it's definitely clear: these █
█ guys are hippies, and they should be in the 60s █
█ right now. The singing sounds distant and █
█ filtered, and it makes up one of the two distinct █
█ vocal styles on the album. This style retains some █
█ of the clearly Ozzy-based characteristics from the █
█ past albums. Overall, it's a good song. It's the █
█ kind of song you listen to when you're just █
█ relaxing. █
█ That all changes with the next one, Maximum Trip, █
█ because it's a full blown rocker. The song's got a █
█ great riff, but again, it's not doom metal at all. █
█ It also has the other kind of singing: more █
█ aggressive and Southern-sounding. This is even █
█ more apparent in Stumble Onto Magic. █
█ Every Little Star is a great song, and maybe one █
█ of the best on the album, which is amazing for how █
█ short and simple it is. It's a shame it's not █
█ longer, but then maybe if it was it would lose its █
█ charm. It's very haunting, despite having pretty █
█ optimistic lyrics, and it leads in perfectly to █
█ Stumble Onto Magic, which has an incredibly sad █
█ (in a good way) introduction before turning █
█ inexplicably upbeat. █
█ Another standout is Beard of Thieves, which █
█ manages to be both catchy and noisy, and it has a █
█ great concept. I also have to mention the title █
█ track, which is exclusively psychedelic rock, █
█ containing a lot of flute and spacey singing. █
█ Without the context of the album it would sound █
█ silly, but they pull it off. █
█ The only song that's no good here is I Know You're █
█ In Here, which is boring and gets annoying after a █
█ while. Excluding that one song, every one on the █
█ album takes you on a journey, and it's one you █
█ should be glad to get lost in for the better part █
█ of an hour. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Dreamliner 5:04 ░
░ 2. Maximum Trip 5:13 ░
░ 3. Every Little Star 1:38 ░
░ 4. Stumble onto Magic 6:38 ░
░ 5. I Know You're in Here 3:32 ░
░ 6. A Dragon's Dream, Part I 3:11 ░
░ 7. Beard of Thieves 4:28 ░
░ 8. For Once in My Life 5:06 ░
░ 9. More than I Can Say for You 4:58 ░
░ 10. Me and My Lady (My Lady and Me) 3:10 ░
░ 11. Unter den Gnomen 3:59 ░
░ 12. Dream Dragon 5:41 ░
░ 13. A Dragon's Dream, Part II 1:57 ░
░ 54:35 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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