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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Dreamtale - Seventhian...Memories Of Time (Jap. Ed.)-(MICP- + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Dec-18-2016 Encoder......L3.98.4 -V0 --lowpas ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2016 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........cd1: 13 cd2: 8 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.dreamtale.org ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Dreamtale Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Seventhian...Memories Of Time Label : Avalon ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Nostalgia can be healthy when it avoids outright ║ │
│║ obsession and stagnation, for it gives a frame ║ │
│║ of reference for what is to come. Too often ║ │
│║ there is this religious fervor to progress and ║ │
│║ cut ties with any notion of the past, and while ║ │
│║ few bands ever really make a total break with ║ │
│║ existing precedent, those that adopt this ║ │
│║ mentality tend to be poorer for it. Change tends ║ │
│║ to work best when accomplished sparingly and in ║ │
│║ an orderly fashion, allowing for a recognizable ║ │
│║ foundation that draws further attention to those ║ │
│║ points of contrast that make each moment a ║ │
│║ unique one. This approach is essentially the ║ │
│║ nuanced sweet spot that a continually successful ║ │
│║ power metal band of any note engages in, one ║ │
│║ where those that may not care for the band will ║ │
│║ complain of self-plagiarism, but where others ║ │
│║ will see another album from one of their ║ │
│║ favorite bands. That is the experience of ║ │
│║ following Dreamtale, a band that arguably wrote ║ │
│║ the book on how to weather chaotic lineup shifts ║ │
│║ without losing the musical plot. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ To the uninitiated, this band's seventh offering ║ │
│║ Seventhian...Memories Of Time comes off as a ║ │
│║ sort of curious combination of Stratovarius' ║ │
│║ keyboard-steeped speed and flair with the ║ │
│║ compact and fun-loving, riff-happy fanfare of ║ │
│║ post-Helloween German acts like Freedom Call. ║ │
│║ This description could naturally fit about every ║ │
│║ album that Dreamtale has offered up to varying ║ │
│║ degrees, not to mention a number of similarly ║ │
│║ geared bands hailing from the same nation like ║ │
│║ Burning Point and Celesty, and it only gives a ║ │
│║ partial picture of how the various cogs and ║ │
│║ wheels in this machine work. A fuller picture ║ │
│║ takes into account some of the nuances in ║ │
│║ songwriting, as guitarist and de facto band ║ │
│║ leader Rami KerΣnen is usually not content to ║ │
│║ simply bang out verse/chorus arena fodder and ║ │
│║ usually mixes up the structure a bit, not to ║ │
│║ mention putting a fair amount of emphasis on ║ │
│║ instrumental breaks beyond obligatory guitar ║ │
│║ solos in a manner reminiscent of older school ║ │
│║ Helloween. Throw in a few token symphonic ║ │
│║ elements reminiscent of Nightwish and occasional ║ │
│║ forays into older heavy metal territory and ║ │
│║ things start to come into focus. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ While this band has had a peculiar knack for ║ │
│║ displaying this sense of slightly unconventional ║ │
│║ songwriting within a song duration that ║ │
│║ generally stays under six minutes, this time ║ │
│║ around things have maintained a strict ║ │
│║ compactness that would give the impression that ║ │
│║ Dreamtale is taking on a more concise and ║ │
│║ commercialized approach similar to the one taken ║ │
│║ on Phoenix. The only song on here that breaks ║ │
│║ past the five minute mark is the slightly ║ │
│║ intricate but not quite epic closing song ║ │
│║ "Embrace My Scars", which has a few interesting ║ │
│║ musical twists and turns but doesn't scream ║ │
│║ ambitious closing song the way "Return To The ║ │
│║ Sea" or "Farewell..." did in the early days. ║ │
│║ Upon closer inspection, while the songs are ║ │
│║ structurally a bit similar, they are also a tad ║ │
│║ bit more aggressive and heavy, not to mention ║ │
│║ fast and fancy. Blazing cookers like "For Our ║ │
│║ Futures", "Fusion Illusion" and the riveting ║ │
│║ bonus song "Even If I Cannot Breathe" come off ║ │
│║ more like late 90s Gamma Ray than Stratovarius ║ │
│║ they cut so hard, and near equally fast and ║ │
│║ gallop-happy heavy hitters "Cabal Toyboy" and ║ │
│║ "Greenback Hunter" prove to be no slouches ║ │
│║ either despite the prominent keyboards. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ There is a lot to be said for the impressive ║ │
│║ array of songs found on this album, but what is ║ │
│║ doubly enticing about this offering for existing ║ │
│║ fans of the band is the re-recordings of all the ║ │
│║ older songs from the first four albums. Suffice ║ │
│║ it to say, the reinterpretations of the material ║ │
│║ off Beyond Reality and Ocean's Heart prove to be ║ │
│║ the most enthralling, the former more so because ║ │
│║ present vocalist Erkki SeppΣnen has a far ║ │
│║ nimbler technique than Rami at the microphone, ║ │
│║ the latter because Erkki is actually fairly ║ │
│║ similar sounding to Tomi Viiltola, not to ║ │
│║ mention that the songwriting in the early days ║ │
│║ was a bit less stylized and more intricate. ║ │
│║ Curiously enough, the atmosphere of these newer ║ │
│║ versions aren't terribly different from the ║ │
│║ originals, save maybe a slightly harder punch ║ │
│║ from the guitars and a bit less density to the ║ │
│║ keyboards, whereas the crispness of Janne ║ │
│║ Juutinen's drum work turns "Refuge From Reality" ║ │
│║ and "Angel's Eyes" into a higher impact affair. ║ │
│║ The only area where things kind of stay the same ║ │
│║ are the two songs off Phoenix, which could have ║ │
│║ been axed in favor of one or two more selections ║ │
│║ off Ocean's Heart or Difference given that the ║ │
│║ only difference in lineup are the drummer and ║ │
│║ bassist. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The nostalgia factor with this album is indeed a ║ │
│║ powerful one, and it perhaps doesn't help ║ │
│║ matters much that the author of this review has ║ │
│║ been following this band intently for about 13 ║ │
│║ years and has been watching with baited breath ║ │
│║ for the moment when they'd actually outdo their ║ │
│║ 2003 magnum opus of a concept album Ocean's ║ │
│║ Heart. That didn't happen here, but what has ║ │
│║ occurred is a highly welcomed addition to a ║ │
│║ growing catalog by a stalwart from the turn-of- ║ │
│║ the-millennium power metal revival that shows ║ │
│║ little signs of slowing down. They've done this ║ │
│║ before, they'll do it again, but they always ║ │
│║ seem to find a way doing it all that keeps it ║ │
│║ from being just another collection of hooks and ║ │
│║ fancy guitar solos. With ink and quill in hand, ║ │
│║ let us all record what ought to be remembered. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Erkki SeppΣnen - Vocals ║ │
│║ Heikki Ahonen - Bass ║ │
│║ Janne Juutinen - Drums ║ │
│║ Rami KerΣnen - Guitars ║ │
│║ Akseli Kaasalainen - Keyboards ║ │
│║ Seppo Kolehmainen - Guitars ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ - CD1 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Dreality [03:28] │
│ 02 - For Our Future [03:44] │
│ 03 - October Is Mine [04:15] │
│ 04 - Picnic Inferno [05:12] │
│ 05 - Cabal Toyboy [04:08] │
│ 06 - True Life [04:05] │
│ 07 - Reality Reborn [04:07] │
│ 08 - Fusion Illusion [04:18] │
│ 09 - Names On The Wall [04:41] │
│ 10 - Greenback Hunter [04:20] │
│ 11 - Moral Messiah [04:29] │
│ 12 - Embrace My Scars [04:45] │
│ 13 - Even If I Cannot Breathe (Bonus Track) [04:30] │
│ - [ ] │
│ - CD2 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Refuge From Reality [04:51] │
│ 02 - Call Of The Wild [04:51] │
│ 03 - Angel┤s Eyes [04:17] │
│ 04 - Two Hundred Men [03:56] │
│ 05 - My Only Wish [04:54] │
│ 06 - World┤s Child [04:52] │
│ 07 - Take What The Heavens Create [02:52] │
│ 08 - Firebird [03:52] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [90:27 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘