DREAM THE ELECTRIC SLEEP

The mix/production is a little better than the horribly muddy, non-distinct-yet-still-excellent 2014 Heretics. I'm certain that this is in large part due to Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush's recent 2 studio albums, etc.) being handed the production reigns. Mr. Raskulinecz also bring about focus and clarity to the songwriting albeit less experimentation. Also missing is the gritty edge than Heretics displayed (which may be why this album doesn't have as much traction here at Prog Archives)?

My ears are soaking in echoes of U2, Led Zepellin, King Crimson, Rush, Pink Floyd.. even a little taste of so-called Shoe-gaze here too (which I don't mind at all, actually). The only truly weak song here is The Good Night Sky. The album closes with All Good Things which, if you love The Cure's Disintegration as much as do, do me a favor- sit back, put on a good set of headphones, grab a glass of wine, crank the volume, set just this song on repeat, sit back and soak it in. Ok, you're back; I was right wasn't I? Now, with the same headphones and sense of calm, check out the break, starting around 3:00 in Culling the Herd. Ooh, that's good, isn't it? The instrumental tracks, We Who Black Out the Sun, and Last Psalm to Silence are excellent headphone experiences too.

It's light prog and really a great album and a gem of a band that's worth checking out. I can't believe that this band is comprised of just three musicians (and they're young too!).

I'm looking forward to what they have coming up. 4 solid stars.

The highlights are Heretics, Elizabeth, To Love Is To Leave, It Must Taste Good, I Know What You Are, How Long We Wait and Ashes Fall.

It is a well produced album from Matt, Joey and Chris with a soundscape that sits somewhere between Anathema and Porcupine Tree at times. I like this album because it never gets pretentious but has a genuine quality ignited by fire and passion on every track. There are done real emotional moments and in places the lyrics reflect on the struggles of life and coping with pain and fear.

Overall this Dream of Electric Sleep album comes recommended as one of the highlights of the year.

DTES comes across as a modern band on most levels, and a band that doesn't look all that much backwards in time for inspiration either. Familiar sounding details appear here and there, vocals similar to both Bono and Thom Yorke, Rush style harder edged but light toned riffs and soloing, post rock textures and the nervous moods of bands like Radiohead. With a few possible nods towards Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree to boot. But while many details sound familiar, the end result really doesn't compare directly to any other artist I can recall. Progressive rock with a foundation in the music of today if you like, incorporating select details from multiple styles and traditions into a new whole. A band and a CD that merit an inspection by those intrigued by that description, and one I'd guess should interest those who enjoy their early '80s Rush just as much as late 90's Radiohead.

"Heritics" is an instrumental that has an excellent heavy sound to it. I like the vocal melodies later on as well. "Elizabeth" isn't as heavy and we get vocals before a minute. Nice chunky bass and it kicks into a higher gear before 2 minutes but contrasts will continue. A calm before 4 minutes with reserved vocals before it kicks back in. A cool PORCUPINE TREE-like atmospheric section ends it. "Utopic" is a top three song for me. Beautiful acoustic guitar to start but bass, drums and more arrive quickly as it builds. Vocals follow and the song settles each time for the chorus which is gorgeous. Nice guitar solo after 5 minutes. "To Love Is To Leave" is ballad-like with reserved vocals to start but it turns fuller with heavy bass lines before 1 1/2 minutes and these contrasts will continue. A tasteful guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in. It turns intense after 5 minutes. So good! A calm ends it. "The Name You Fear" is catchy and heavy with some cool vocal melodies. The bass is huge. Nice guitar solo after 4 minutes and later on as well. Check out the drum work as well. "It Must Taste Good" opens with faint guitar experssions as a melodic picked guitar arrives but both are drowned out by heaviness. Sounds like an early nineties Alternative song to be honest. I like the vocal melodies too. Themes are repeated.

"I Know What You Are" features acoustic guitars before drums, vocals and more take over in a dramatic way. Atmosphere only as it calms down to a whisper then almost spoken vocals arrive. It turns loud before 4 1/2 minutes and this majestic section will stay to the end. "Fist To Face" is another top three for me. Love the guitar melodies that are featured throughout. A full sound kicks in quickly. Vocal melodies late. Great tune. "Lost Our Faith" is a short tune with what sounds like two acoustic guitars and reserved vocals before it turns heavier around 1 1/2 minutes in. "How Long We Wait" has this feel good guitar line to start, it turns fuller quickly. This is uptempo as the vocals join in. It settles back 2 1/2 minutes in then turns even quieter at 3 minutes. It's building as the guitar lights it up. Another calm before 4 1/2 minutes before it builds again. "Ashes Fall" is my other top three. What a way to end this record. I like the menacing guitar and heavy duty sound here. The vocal melodies are cool, they really use them to great affect on this album. Vocals before a minute and these guys are kicking ass. A calm at 4 minutes with lots of atmosphere. Sampled voices can be heard then the vocals return before 5 minutes. There's a great PORCUPINE TREE-like instrumental section after 6 minutes then those sampled voices are back to end it.

Just an excellent effort from these boys who live where the grass is blue and horses rule the sports world.

More often than not, what I'm looking for in the music I listen to is something different. I want to hear elements combined in an interesting way, that I haven't heard a dozen times before. This band's influences are apparent, and thoroughly discussed elsewhere. DTES definitely aren't a clone of other bands in the broad progressive universe. It's possibly their greatest selling point. Another excellent thing about Dream the Electric Sheep is Matt Page's singing. He has a terrific voice and technique. He doesn't sing each song the same way.

My favorite songs, like those of my fellow reviewers, are at either end of the album. But truly, there isn't a song here I don't like. I only have two minor complaints. The first is that some of the songs overstay their welcome. This is probably an occupational hazard of post-rock inspired music, which tends to sound superficially repetitive. However, repeated listening to these 11 tracks reveals details I hadn't noticed before. The second is that for a concept album about specific influential women (read DTES' Bandcamp page), the lyrics are pretty vague. Like I've already stated, these are very minor reservations. I'm giving HERETICS 4 stars, even though they stole my daughter's name!

Favorite songs: "Heretics;" the U2 War-ish and doves-like "Elizabeth" (8:22) (9/10); the doves-like "Utopic" (6:38) (8/10); the brief folk-with-Bono-ish "Lost Our Faith" (2:06) (8/10); the full-out U2 sounding "How Long We Wait" (9:29) (8/10), and, of course; "Ashes Fall."

Solid four star album of high quality, highly creative, highly detailed music.

Well, sometimes the music reaches the heart so emergant so nothing else than five stars would be inappropriate. Your feelings in one way hide you from the more logical truth. But why shouldn't they. Music is art and art is not objective. On the other side there is also music that you find so wrong and non-appealing that you want to protest and just give the record one star. This is perhaps an example of the latest. I have listened to the record carefully twice and I don't have any interest in what I hear. I would also be so rude and say that the squeaky and smoothed vocals together with the alternative rock music just make me irritated and my ears want to cry out their need for something more traditional.

Obviously this is a record that people love and perhaps you should give it a try, especially if you like "modern" music, I'm not sure I do that, I am a prog conservative. I had hard to hear similarities with other prog bands. Neither did I hear a song which I liked on this album or did I hear anything unique. So sorry, this wasn't in my taste!

This is my first review so let me start by saying I've been following this site for a long time and THANKS for all the great music reviews! I've discovered a lot of awesome music as a result.

Anyway, HERETICS has inspired me to submit this review because I truly believe this album is special and required listening for any prog or rock fan! The blend of creative melodies mixed with a powerful rhythm section makes for a unique and invigorating sound! This album really should be experienced in its entirety because the tracks blend so well with each other, but yet each track has something that separates it from the other. Also the lyrics are deep and the singer uses melody and phrasing in very creative ways that really drew me in. This album has moved me personally and I haven't been this excited for a new band since I first heard Deloused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta.

DTES has soul and substance which is lacking somewhat in the music I hear these days!

If you want just a taste I'd recommend just starting out with the first two tracks "Heretics" and "Elizabeth", but if you are willing to take the plunge and listen to the entire album you will be rewarded with the beautifully powerful "Ashes Fall".

The first thing to notice is that DTES sounds like a super group. Their music shows such maturity, confidence and personality that would suit an arena-filling band and not three guys from Lexington, KY, in their second album, which is distributed for free. This characteristic in sound, songwriting and performance is so intense that immediately distinguishes DTES from the pile of newcoming bands. This is material for major labels and worldwide promotion.

DTES claims to be a progressive rock band and I love them for that. The truth is there are only a few prog elements to be found. I would describe them mostly as an incredibly artistic hard rock band. Their sound is massively electroacoustic, very unique in style and with a wide range of influences. Some Floyd and Genesis here and there, mainstream 80's rock (U2, Police), some alternative in the vein of early Pearl Jam, post rock (due to the extended use of atmospheres from guitar delays and reverbs) and certainly a lot of blues, especially in the guitar solos. At some moments, the melodic parts of straight hard rock bands like Indian rockers The Cult and Warrior Soul came to my mind. The band infiltrates all these elements (and more) into a new sound but what I love the most is this sound's mood: it's powerful and energetic, commercial without being cheesy, major but not too happy, minor but not too melancholic. I found some relevance with the good albums of Dredg, not in sound but in vibes.

All compositions are built around Matt Page's charismatic voice. If a band's success depends mostly on its singer, than DTES really have a great chance. His voice is different, filled with colorful tones, good old fashioned rocking clarity and well built technique. Sometimes, he resembles Jeff Buckley, in the way that he uses his vibrato at high notes and this is a very rarely-given compliment. His guitar playing is equally amazing, perfectly filling all the gaps and setting the stage for the fantastic vocal lines. Joey Waters & Chris Tackett deliver a more straightforward and rough sound in their rhythm section, trying to achieve excellence through simplicity. And they generally do. I also find it impressive that the band never uses heavy stereotypes and remains focused at its own vision, at all times.

There is not one mediocre moment here. All songs are of the same quality level, if you like one you will like all and I guess the opposite is true, too. So, I find no use in describing them separately. There are five epic songs longer than 8 minutes but I have to say that my favorites are ''Utopic'' and ''Fist to face'', two shorter tracks with magical melodies that hooked in my brain for weeks.

What DTES should do, in my opinion, in order to achieve even greater heights: Maybe a bit shorter duration than 75 minutes or a bit longer instrumental parts. A bit less dirty production. Wider use of other instruments (as Gazpacho did) would add grandeur to an already very colourful music.

Summing up: rock music of extreme quality from an unexpected band, music that every progster should find at least enjoyable. I think that DTES can achieve wonders artistically and, given the right resources/promotion, commercially too. Prog community should embrace and support them by all means, this is a band that can make us all proud. ''Heretics'' will definitely be on my top-10 list for 2014. Eagerly waiting to see what's next.

87/100. 4 electric stars!