Let Me Dream's sound is dominated by vocals and keyboards, the latter lavishly applied with typical Finnish devotion and played with exceptional flair by Jari Koskela. On the first few listenings especially, the other instruments seem relegated to a supporting role, almost like a band in a theater's orchestra pit providing background music for the players on-stage. The drama enacted there is fused with strong emotion, enchantment, and wildness, its presentation reflecting a variety of influences: old-school gothic, black metal, a little prog, and even hints of viking. The overall effect is a combination of atmosphere and emotion, which is energized by a sense of urgency derived largely from Koskinen's vocals. His low, wavery "goth" voice conveys a feeling of rushing forward. He also does black metal-style screams and occasionally uses a clean, non-goth voice, which I personally prefer for its controlled aggressiveness and power.

The lead-off, title track is a great mood-setter, beginning with staticy sounds and swirling horror-music keyboards, then a zesty yelp from Tuukku Koskinen. This song mixes styles effectively, and its melodies twist all over the place. Even more varied and at times proggy, the second song, "Roses on the Silver Plate," is one of the strongest. It features lots of changes in pacing and style, and extra dimensions in the vocals, thanks to Koskinen's adventurousness and the contributions of Marko Tuominen's soft, ultra-deep voice, harmonized with Koskinen's in an off-speed way at times, spoken at others. A highly infectious chorus provides that aforementioned sense of urgency. The following track, "I Resonate" (love the title), is quite fun, with a feeling of subtle agitation.

The stand-out on the album, for me, is "Powered by the Moon." With residual energy from the preceding song, "Domain of Despair," (which concludes with aggressive, though somewhat muted drums and a drawn-out note by Koskinen, ending on snarl) "Powered by the Moon" seizes the momentum and carries it forward. Fast-paced and hypnotic, this song does some of the same things as the title track, but even better, shifting style and mood in a way that increases the intensity.

On the quirky "Babel" Tuominen again supplies deep semi-spoken vocals, which add to the song's theatricality. The coolest moments are when Jari Koskela's enchanting keyboards and Jani Koskela and Juhana Stolt's guitars engage in a great call-and-response that is alternated with blending. The guitars also receive some emphasis on "As Souls Embrace"--crunchy, buzzy, with a solo that's almost shredding--and on "Dust of Time," one of the most rocking numbers on the album, where there is another good solo. Adding to the aggressiveness is Koskinen's use of that clean, assertive, non-goth voice, which also appears on the closing track, "Autumn Twilight," where his passionate delivery infuses the song with great emotional intensity. Thematically and musically, "Autumn Twilight" is an effective closer, starting out mournful and poignant, then rocking, and finally ending mournfully.

A limited edition of "Soulshine" was released in 2004 on Succubus Records, with a wide-distribution version projected to come out later on Nocturnal Music. That subsequent release, as far as I can determine, never occurred. Nocturnal's web address currently comes up as "for sale," and my review copy of the album was manufactured by the band's promotional agency, Risestar. "Soulshine" is deserving a wider audience, as is the band itself. Certainly there is room for improvement: despite the skill and inventiveness of Jari Koskela's keyboads and the appeal of Tuukku Koskinen's singing, Let Me Dream's sound would definitely be enhanced by an increased emphasis on the other instruments, the drums in particular. In interviews Jani Koskela, principal composer and lyricist, indicated that the band's newer material is heavier, which seems like a step in the right direction, one I hope they have the opportunity to take.

written by Maud

Playing time: 43.09