Despite what struggles they've been through, Dreamwell keep pushing through with their new album, 'Modern Grotesque'.
After 4 tumultuous years of struggles surrounding band member switch-ups, label mishaps, injuries, and certain personal misfortunes, Dreamwell put all their courage into their sophomore album. Taking their influences and post-hardcore and post-rock tendencies to better heights this time around.
There is much to appreciate on this album, the melodic progressions and tempos that manage to soar through, the screamo swells provided by the vocalist, as well as the instrumental tones that contrast from bliss to misery. It’s much more immediate and well-crafted than their debut album, and certain highlights such as ‘Sayaka’, ‘Plague Father; Vermin Son’, and ‘You Dreamt of Me I Dreamt of a Mountain of Salt’ because of how the melodic progressions and contrasts work so well.
However, there are certain pushbacks, and it has to come with the concept of the themes not hitting as hard, surrounding how most of the characters in this album are under the midst of sorrow and hatred but does try to latch on to some hope and peace, but then the closer reveals that peace has to be death which ends the album on a dour, defeatist note. Said push backs also comes with how some tracks don’t land in its melodic structures especially on the back half, and it also comes with the vocals too, which works for screams and emphasized tragic delivery, but sometimes the spoken word tones don’t really land that tension that the writing presents.
However, despite my nitpicks with the themes not landing well and certain musical elements that don’t click, this is still an impressive showing for Dreamwell after what struggles they have been through. Melodic, pummeling, and shows a variance in its tone that balances things out.
Favorite Tracks: Painting Myself a Darker Day, Sayaka, A Crouching Tiger Waits for Prey That Never Comes, Plague Father; Vermin Son, You Dreamt of Me. I Dreamt of a Mountain of Salt
Least Favorite Track: Sisyphean Happiness