DREAMSCAPE

It's obvious to see that the band re-recorded all the best songs, as some of the songs that I wasn't previously familiar with definitely seem like weaker tracks. And whilst Huby Meisel has a very majestic voice, I've come to love Roland Stoll's renditions of these songs.

The band can be (like every Prog Metal band) easily compared to Dream Theater, but one thing I really like about Dreamscape is that all their songs are very melodic, so even the heavier riffs have a nice elegance to them. Especially with tracks like 'Thorn in My Mind', 'When Shadows Are Gone', 'Winter Dreams' and all three parts of 'Panterei'. All these songs nicely combine heavy guitar riffs with beautiful keyboards.

Overall this is some great quality Progressive Metal. If you're new to Dreamscape I strongly recommend 'Revoiced' instead of 'Very', but regardless, pardon the obvious pun, this is indeed a 'Very' good album.

"Clockwork" Following a glitzy synthesizer-lead opening (similar to "New Millennium" by Dream Theater), the strained tenor of the vocalist and heavy guitars moves in at a medium pace. The song has everything one would expect from a progressive metal album opener minus speedy theatrics. Instead, the song focuses on the rhythm and the big vocals.

"Short-Time News" Soft piano and cutting lead guitar would lead one to believe a power ballad is in store, but this is not so- pretty soon guttural guitar rips through alongside synthesizer, and the music is right back in heavy metal territory.

"The End of Light" The epic of the album involves a quasi-orchestral beginning, and could easily be the music for the opening credits of a Tim Burton film. After three minutes of robust symphonic music, the band kicks in with methodical metal. The bright melody over piano about six minutes in is quite uplifting, and the subsequent guitar solo is a real highlight. Delicate guitar brings in a gentler, yet still ominous passage, which gives way to more biting guitar, heavy drumming, and a synthesizer solo. This is a big song, one that can really feel as though it is starting to lose focus around seventy-five percent of the way through. Toward the end, it allows the piano to take over the repeated melody, and this is an excellent move.

"All I Need" In keeping with the gentle piano that ended the previous expedition, Dreamscape offers a short, soft song- a well-placed respite from driving metal and lengthy instrumental sections. The song uses simple chords and a straightforward but agreeable melody.

"Silent Maze" Deep bass introduces this one. It is standard progressive metal fare, this time complete with a shredding guitar solo. I enjoy the interaction between the shimmering guitar and the keyboards hovering in the backdrop.

"Flow" Here is a driving progressive metal cut with thick wall of guitar and breathier sections laced with synthesizer lead. The vocals are a bit grating in places, but overall, this is an excellent offering on this album.

"More Than" While the bass carries a basic tone, the backing is riddled with odd effects. Multiple guitars cut through though, and soon a somber vocal creeps in over a gentle background. Once again, the band demonstrates their ability to use dynamics to craft excellent and varied songs- despite powerful heavy metal passages, the band dams these up with some of the calmest music to be found on this affair.

"Infected Ground" Using a simple chord progression and filling out the sound with the staples of the progressive metal genre, Dreamscape offers a very good work, if only challenging in places. For the guitar solos, the band opens up the rhythm (rather than cluttering it with chugging guitars), and this proves most effective.

"You Don't Know Me" For the final song, the band offers even more variety, this time using a cavorting yet off-kilter romp between the keyboards and the guitar. The melody is wonderful.

It is the first time Dreamscape attempts such a long song, and they have made sure that there is a continuous flow throughout that keeps the listener's attention between the different parts. It is surprising how well they have managed to do that, as it is mainly well played heavy metal riffs alternating for 20 minutes, yet blending into the next song, the sole ballad of the album 'All I need', as if it was less than 10 minutes.

The beginning couple of songs 'Clockwork' and 'Short-Time News' set the pace for the rest of the album. 'Flow' has some impressive keyboard work. 'You don't know me' starts off like something Sieges Even could have done and continues similarly to the style of the rest of the album.

All musicians have improved greatly since their debut, and the production of keyboard player Jan Vacik allows all instruments to be heard clearly. It is a conscious turn to heavier material. At times, one is reminded of a technically more skilled Threshold ? or what Conception could have turned into if they hadn't stopped. If there is something I would change, it is the duration of some of the songs. Most songs are 7 minutes long. As Dreamscape is mostly song oriented, some of the songs are just 2 minutes longer than they should be (and I am not referring to the epic).

This is an excellent addition to any progressive metal music collection, and a step up from Dreamscape's previous releases.

They do belong to the German 90s progressive metal scene, along with groups like Soul Cages, Vanden Plas and Everon, in which being melodic, atmospheric and creating good songs is more important than showing off their undeniable music skills (which do show up in the compositions). Not to mention the heavy German pronunciation of English that one learns to get used to after a while. Another group that comes in mind is Conception, as singer Tobi Zoltan does remind us of Rhoy Khan's whining and the rhythm guitars sound similar to Tore Ostby's. Despite similarities, from their first album, they manage to pave their own way in the progressive 90s.

A Trance-Like State indeed. Expect lots of atmospheric keyboard passages, some piano and mostly mid-tempo compositions enriched with heavy guitar playing. The exception here is the speedy 'Don't take care', that seems to be screaming: 'I'm your Under a Glass Moon'! There are also a number of ballads and slower pieces, all with a great deal of atmosphere and passion. Songs that stand out are the opener, 'Spirits' and the beautiful 'Streets', with the main riff fading out in the end. Both 'Changes' and 'Face your Fears' have interesting prog instrumental sections. However, my favourite is the last tune, 'The Wall', that leaves you with a positive taste at the end of the album.

The disadvantages of this album are its unbalanced production and the vocals. Dreamscape self produced the album, so one keeps considering how better the songs would have sounded after some experienced producer's touch. The lyrics are simplistic and not well pronounced at times. They do however explore various concepts successfully, as in 'Face your Fears', which deals with a man that grows up not daring to open a door, not knowing what he will find on the other side.

All in all, Trance-Like State is good, but not essential for your Progressive Metal collection. However, it is the testament of a group of talented musicians at the beginning of their career, who have managed to keep the standards high even in their first release.

The two opening songs 'Fed Up With' and 'Borderline' are well composed and performed - I am sure many a prog metal band would be happy to have written them - preparing a staging ground for the title track, a 14 1/2 minute monster of genius and creative bliss that leaves the listener breathless and reaching for the repeat key at an instant. 'Deja Vu' serves as a little filler before 'Phenomenon' is unleashed at the audience, rich in intensity, a super thick canvas of sound wrapping itself around Roland Stoll's voice. What '5th Season' requires the 4th of an hour to unload, 'Phenomenon' keeps true to it's name and does it in an almost radio compatible timespan. This song will probably never ever leave my head, there were days when I went to sleep humming it and woke the next morning to continue humming it. With 'Different' and 'Point Zero' Dreamscape can once again demonstrate their ability to create contemporary progressive metal songs that just cannot raise the suspicion of being a waste of time, that spite their length because the minutes pass in a blur while the listener displays an insane grin on it's face.

'Farewell' finalizes the tremendous cut in the band's biography, but as with every farewell this is also a new beginning and surely only time will be a matter for Dreamscapes next output, if just it will be a creative behemont like this record.

One of the most polished and solid prog metal albums I ever heared in last years. 5th season is the last album from 2007 of this prog metal act from Germany. Better then the predecesor, with a plus on compositions, they take care more of subtle arrangements, the musicianship is outstanding, and the pieces flow from one to another in a spectacular way. Well is true again we have traces of Dream Theater, but this is not a proble here this album is better then anything Dream Theater release after Scenes from amemory. The voice of Roland Stoll is excellent on this album, quite better then on previous work, from high range to mellower aproach, this guy is a shining star among vocalists these days. The interplays between guirat and keys is again brilliant, leaving the listner with breath taken. From odd time signatures to complex arrangemnts make from this Dreamscape last effort a truly amazing work in prog metal. Germany always was and is a pile in this sugenre, giving some outstanding bands, just to name a few Vanden Plas, Avalon, etc. So 5th season desearve from me a full 5 stars, recommended among the best prog metal albums these days. Fav pieces: the opening track Fed Up With, the title track 5th Season - a super example how must sound prog metal today, well written and well composed and above all not boring one second, Somebody and Diffrent. Higly recommended for all prog metal listners and a masterpiece of this subgenre.

Fans of Dream Theater will love what Dreamscape have to offer. Very technical and heavy songs and lots of melodies. One of the things I like a lot about Dreamscape is that however heavy their music gets, it still retains a beautiful melody throughout, as opposed to heavier, more aggressive riffs. That's not to say this is Soft Rock in any way, these guys can shred with the best of 'em.

Most of the songs on this album are great, but a few of them have their low points. Though none of the songs are bad, some of them just aren't as memorable. Maybe it's just a case of the album running too long and that the masterpieces overshadow the other songs? Either way, there isn't any particular bad song, so it's a great album to check out. Especially some true gems like 'Thorn in My Mind', 'Alone', 'Winter Dreams' and 'When Shadows Are Gone'.

Excellent vocals and dazzling guitar/keyboard work make this a group not to be missed. I think the melodic nature of the band makes it easier for people to get into. So if you're not into stuff like Dream Theater and Symphony X, but do like your progressive music, then give Dreamscape a go.

Overall, this album is recommended to all the progressive metal fans who Loves DT,Andromeda and other technical Progressive Metal band.