In the mid 90’s The Dreamside was one of my favourite goth/wave bands from The Netherlands. I still play their debut album “Pale blue lights” (Death Wish office, 1994) now and then. Then they were mostly a duo, sounding largely electronic, with all room for the melancholic voice of founder Kemi Vita, which reminded me of All About Eve. In recent years The Dreamside have become a real 5-piece band, with a harder sound in which guitars play a prominent role.
For some reason the artwork of the new album reminds me of Within Temptation. I suspect the success of Dutch goth metal bands like Within Temptation, Epica or Asrai, as well as an act like Evanescence, must be an inspiration for The Dreamside. Their recent sound can be described as contemporary dark rock. I must confess that this album does not really appeal to my personal taste.
The vocals of Vita are still strong, but the style of the songs with a huge, bombastic synth/guitar sound does not please me much. A good (or bad) example is ‘The feast is set’, which I find a bit over the top with metal riffs, distorted vocals, classical synth loops and an overwhelming refrain, which seems to borrow from The Mission’s ‘Deliverance’.
The Dreamside have certainly managed to create an attractive album for a larger audience though, and some songs like ‘Forsaken’ and, ‘Open your Eyes’ (featuring Rogue of The Cruxshadows) have hit potential. I wish The Dreamside a lot of succes, I only doubt if this album is original enough to make them stand out from other goth/metal acts.
