Produced by Kevin Churko
Released: 2008
Much lauded at the time of its release for being a breath of fresh air on the scene, In This Moment’s debut Beautiful Tragedy was in reality nothing more than a totally generic metalcore album with only Maria Brink’s vocals to distinguish it from every other band of that ilk. As such, I was hardly looking forward to what The Dream might be like. Yet in this, I was remarkably surprised. For their second album, In This Moment has stripped away virtually all of the “core” and almost all of the metal and headed in a melodic rock direction. A lot of bands that try this should be taken away and shot, but for ITM it was precisely the right thing to do.
The Dream is a collection of songs that marry substance and style, as opposed to the debut where trying to be hardcore was everything. Brink is still the very heart and soul of this group (and with those eyes and those tatts, why shouldn’t she be?!), but their new musical approach lets the band shine a bit too. Only “The Great Divide” recalls the metalcore of Beautiful Tragedy, yet also manages to surpass it on every level. It’s much the same story for the album as a whole as In This Moment seeks to broaden their appeal beyond the angst-ridden wallet-chain brigade with a tighter grasp of melody, keener songwriting and a more original outlook.
Producer Kevin Churko had a hand in the music, but despite this The Dream is a clearer indication of where In This Moment wants to be as a band than Beautiful Tragedy was, one actually eager to stand out from the crowd rather than running with it. The elaborate packaging suggests a song-cycle based on some Lewis Carroll-style fantasy world but this seems more a reflection of the album’s title than any of its actual songs except perhaps the last two, for otherwise Brink sings of love, loss and hope. Apart from the maudlin “Into the Light” that sounds like Evanescence at their most irritating, this is an album of good solid modern hard rock. “Her Kiss” has a darkly Gothic feel, “The Great Divide” is the metal track and both “All for You” and “Lost at Sea” are excellent songs.
The Dream is a collection of songs that marry substance and style, as opposed to the debut where trying to be hardcore was everything. Brink is still the very heart and soul of this group (and with those eyes and those tatts, why shouldn’t she be?!), but their new musical approach lets the band shine a bit too. Only “The Great Divide” recalls the metalcore of Beautiful Tragedy, yet also manages to surpass it on every level. It’s much the same story for the album as a whole as In This Moment seeks to broaden their appeal beyond the angst-ridden wallet-chain brigade with a tighter grasp of melody, keener songwriting and a more original outlook.
Producer Kevin Churko had a hand in the music, but despite this The Dream is a clearer indication of where In This Moment wants to be as a band than Beautiful Tragedy was, one actually eager to stand out from the crowd rather than running with it. The elaborate packaging suggests a song-cycle based on some Lewis Carroll-style fantasy world but this seems more a reflection of the album’s title than any of its actual songs except perhaps the last two, for otherwise Brink sings of love, loss and hope. Apart from the maudlin “Into the Light” that sounds like Evanescence at their most irritating, this is an album of good solid modern hard rock. “Her Kiss” has a darkly Gothic feel, “The Great Divide” is the metal track and both “All for You” and “Lost at Sea” are excellent songs.
Until now, In This Moment was just another band, but The Dream shows they really could be something a little bit more.
- The Rabbit Hole
- Forever
- All For You
- Lost at Sea
- Mechanical Love
- Her Kiss
- Into the Light
- You Always Believed
- The Great Divide
- Velvet Skies
- The Dream
Rating: 85%
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