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After a muscular and semi-bombastic intro, Sweden's Dreamland present themselves with a track called "Hearts Like Lions" which inevitably bring back memories of Hammerfall's hideous hit "Hearts On Fire". How did we come to live in a world where supposedly skilled musicians reach success by singing a simple refrain over and over again? Luckily "Hearts Like Lions" is far from as hideous but the lyrics are in the same league, Dreamland managing to cover a wide range of metal clichés accompanying the listener from intro to outro. Now that I have thrown a few punches I might as well mention the positive sides to this album because this is far from a complete disaster. The debut from the Gothenburg natives is in fact a solid piece of melodic power metal that meets strong hard rock influences in the vein of fellow Swedes Hammerfall and Dream Evil. These reference points are not only valid comparisons but the band also hold strong connections both ways. Dreamland's front man Joacim Lundberg sings in a similar way to Dream Evil's Niklas Isfeldt and it was not a huge surprise when he replaced the latter briefly earlier this year. Hammerfall's Joacim Cans, who is credited for having "discovered" the band, also provides backing vocals on their debut album. A clear and powerful production, decent song writing and the right amount of soloing make this an enjoyable album. However, they rely too much on standard concepts and need to find a stronger identity of their own in the future. Might be worth checking out if you're a fan of Hammerfall, Dream Evil or even Stratovarius.
| Tracklist |
| 1. The Chance (Intro) |
| 2. Hearts Like Lions |
| 3. A New Way |
| 4. Breaking The Chains |
| 5. Destiny |
| 6. Die Slowly |
| 7. Fade Away |
| 8. All For One |
| 9. Dreamland |
| 10. Future's Calling |
| 11. Blank Mind |
| 12. A New Dimension |
| 13. Repeating Supremacy (Outro) |
: 49.31
| Buy other Dreamland albums |
