Dreamscape - Trance-Like State

Year of Release: 1997
Label: Rising Sun Productions
Catalog Number: 35894
Format: CD
Total Time: 64:43:00

[This is the first of two that Larry wrote, originally posted at Perpetual Motion (thus all the "shout outs"); we've included both -ed. PW]

Well, here at last is the disc that has blown me away from the first time it it the player, right up through now as I listen to it and write this ... It's amazing that I waited this long to yak about this disc, because I normally rant and rave over a disc when its this good right from the word go ... well, if you notice, I hinted here and there that this is the disc everyone needs to own, and I wanted to get some drool flowing before I nailed this one down ... Also, I have listened to this disc so many times, any re-buttals here will NOT even make me think twice about what I have said here, this is AWESOME in every way possible, it is without a doubt one of the best melodic, powerful prog metal discs I have ever heard ... and if the hair on my arm standing up is not enough to make me think so, then I don't know what its all about ... so, here it is:

THE STYLE

I will mention bands that this may resemble at times, only in comparison to give you an idea of what you are going to be hearing ... they really do not "sound" like any other band, but I'll put in some little "bits" of other bands to try to back up my words here ... As I've said, this is melodic, powerful, prog metal at its finest, with an emphasis on MELODIC and POWERFUL ... they range in style from maybe Dream Theater structured riffs (very few), to MAYBE some new Lethal-styled riffing, to some Tad Morosian styled guitar work ... the most impressive thing about this band is their ability to be SO powerful, raise your blood pressure, and then suddenly break out the acoustic guitars and bring you WAYYYY down to some beautiful, majestic, power ballads ... this band has amazing control, and only 1 band comes to recent mind that can do this with as much class an with as much ease as this band does, and that it SUPERIOR ... and you know that SUPERIOR is one of my all time favorites ... this band is so smooth, and so at ease with what they are playing, its a pleasure to hear a band that has so much flexibilty with their music that they can go from super powered tunes down to power ballads, and not just because they feel they have to ... there is a sense of urgency in this band, that drives them to play the music the way they do, just like Superior ...

THE PRODUCTION:

If I had one wish, it would be that all progressive metal bands used the same producer as this band does ... there are very few bands that can match the clarity, crispness and mixture of instruments as this band does ... this is one of the best sounding discs I have heard ... anything else that I am getting in at the moment are suffering because I am getting used to this sound, and having a hard time hearing anything less than perfection, which this band gives for sound ... a pleasure to listen to. Amazingly, the guitarist is the producer of this gem, and he has not only a superb playing ability, but he also has a keen ear on what he wants his band's awesome music to sound like ...

THE INSTRUMENTS:

Well, if my descriptors above make you think that this band has some serious talent based on style and sound alone, wait until you hear what each member has to do to contribute to such a great disc ... Guitar worshippers, add this guy to your list ... he not only has produced this gem, he is the solo guitarist in this band, as well as the primary song writer for most of the songs ... anyone who loves these multi-talented guitarists like I do, then add Wolfgang Kerinnis to your list of heroes to worship ... take the crispness and heaviness of Petrucci, add some Tad-Morosian styled crunches as well, take one superb sounding acoustic guitar (this guy can and does tone it down lots of times), and take some of the talent that some twin guitar players strive to achieve sonically, and you have this guy ... The keyboard player is used in more of a background role as creating a wall of sound that bands like Ivanhoe and Threshold use ... not as a solo instrument, but as a WALL that gives them their "Dreamy" sound ... Drums and bass player are as talented any other major prog metal band that plays intricate, progressive, melodic, powerful music like this ...

THE SINGER

I have to say, and you all know, that my weak spot in progressive metal is the singer ... saving the best for last, I have to say that I now add this guy (Tobi Zoltan) to my "best singers in prog metal" list ... Debatable or not, I will go on record to say that this guy resembles a cross between Tom Malicoat (Lethal), Midnight (Crimson Glory), and Mark Vanderbilt (Kamelot) ... quite an impressive list for an unknown band like this ... with anything less than the capabilities of this guy, ths band might fall by the wayside and get passed up because the singer couldn't complete the power section needed to keep up with the ferocity of the band ... this guy pulls it off with ease ... he is simply marvelous, and if you know my pickiness for singers, have no fear that this guy is one treat to listen to, and I will have hard time believeing that he doesn't sound like or at least rival in power some of the singers I've listed ... he is THAT good ...

THE COMMENTS

Is there any doubt that I am excited about this band???? Its probably because I can't believe that a band is blowing me away in ways that only a few bands have been known to do ... I slap myself in the head sometimes when I think that I could have had this disc in my hands about 3 months ago, when I was given a choice of this one or EDGUY, I chose this one ... not that Edguy is bad, its just that it doesn't compare to this one in terms of power and of what I like about Prog Metal ... I thought that there would be tons of these floating around, so imagine my mood when I found out that I had to wait 3 months for this ... Thanks to Erik Welty [a poster at Perpetual Motion], I did not even hear this before buying it, and I also say without hesitation, just buy this disc without even hearing it ... it is definitely one of the BEST melodic, progressive pieces on the planet ... How a band like this got by me, I'll never know ... but dont let it happen to you ...

Of noteworthy mention: Glenn Harveston [ProgPower USA organizer, Perpetual Motion poster] bought this blindly, and Mr DeWhitt has this coming already ... I'll bet large amounts of money that Mr. Harveston gets out here and does headstands about this one ... and no doubt Doug is going to love this one as well ...

If you like your prog metal melodic, powerful, emotional, and you have a passion for singers as I do, then all of your wishes will be met when you grab this one ...

This disc signifies everything that I love about Prog Metal ... :O)

[The second review -ed. PW]

Every now and then, a disc comes along that exemplifies exactly what it is that I love about Progressive Metal, and it joins an elite group of discs in my collection that defines the genre. Dreamscape's Trance-like State is such a disc. This is a 65-minute long extravaganza of some of the best melodic progressive metal that I have heard in a long time, and here's why:

THE STYLE:

This German band has an extremely melodic approach to their music, using heavy, crunching guitar work backed by soaring keyboards that give the music a big, open airy sound unlike the approach that Ivanhoe uses. The Music is very progressive and agressive, yet they somehow manage to maintan a soft, melodic warm feeling about their music even when they are executing an all out attack on the senses. Very few bands can achieve this without sounding too cold and technical, and Dreamscape has to be one of the most melodic progressive bands in the business because of this ability.

THE SINGER:

The singer is one of the many shining points in this band. I would describe him as sounding a cross between Tom Malicoat (Lethal), and Mark Vanderbilt (Kamelot) and that combination allows him to not only to wail at will without ever being irritating, but it also means that he can sing ballads with tremendous emotion and warmth. There is little doubt that he is one of the best prog metal singers I have ever heard. His voice is absolutely crucial to the sound of this band, and it is hard for me to imagine too many other singers that can pull this off like Tobi Zoltan can.

THE MUSIC:

The guitarist, Wolfgang Kerinnis, is what this sound can be attributed to. He not only plays the guitar in the band, he produced the disc, mixed it, and wrote most of the material making him one talented individual. He brings a nice heavy crunching sound to the music, never overearing, but there is no mistaking who is making all of that wonderful noise on the disc... He can turn it down as well, as he takes out acoustic guitar for a few numbers, mixing it in nicely with his electric sound. The bass, drums and keyboard complement this sound superbly, and I have to say that I wish more prog metal bands would employ more keyboards in their music, it just adds so much warmth and depth to the power that has been established by the guitar sound. Bands like Superior, Ivanhoe and other use this same approach to establishing a signature sound. I believe that bands which employ this method of achieving that sound like the ones mentioned have that are ability to mix in warmth with their powerful style, and this is what sets ordinary bands apart from bands that excel in this genre.

THE LYRICS:

The Lyrics on the disc are very well thought out, lots of times dealing with emotions such as fear, thought, loneliness and the occasional abstract subjects of time and dreams. Most of them are compliments of Wolfgang Kerinnis, which should give you an idea of how talented this guy is.

FINAL COMMENTS:

Overall, I have to say that this is one of the BEST melodic progressive metal discs in my collection. It is essential to fans of all styles of prog metal, as Dreamscape certainly employs every style known to the genre on the disc, but again never failing to lose that melodic, warm feeling which shines through on every song. If you are fan of Superior, Ivanhoe, Dream Theater, or any other band similar to the ones mentioned, then disc is a must.?

Tracklisting:
Spirits (5:07) / Fateful Silence (4:44) / Streets (4:40) / Changes (5:31) / One & A Million (4:56) / Face Your Fears (5:27) / Loneliness (4:47) / Decisions (4:00) / Final Thoughts (4:45) / It's Not The End (4:28) / Don't Take Care (4:49) / Center Of Time (6:39) / Wall (4:42)

Musicians:
Tobi Zoltan - vocals
Benno Schmidtler - bass
Wolfgang Zerinnis - guitars
Bernhard Huber - drums
Jan Vacik - keyboards

Discography:
Trance-like State (1997)
Very (1998)
End Of Silence (2004)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: July 25th 1999
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri
Score:
Artist website: www.dreamscape.de
Hits: 3151
Language: english