BEYOND DREAMS

3.5 stars. This is GALLEON's seventh studio album called "Beyond Dreams" released in 2000. It's one of those albums that's a little inconsistant but it sure has some high points. I'm such a fan of these Swedes who play Neo-Prog with a dash of RUSH.

"Before The Sunrise" is my favourite.These guys usually lead off an album with a killer track and this is no exception. Lots of atmosphere to open before piano and a fuller sound arrives.Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. It's so uplifting 2 minutes in followed by a tasteful guitar solo. Themes are repeated. A calm 6 minutes in with piano. Some nice soaring guitar late as it continues to be fairly calm. "Let Us Be Amazed" sounds so good to open, very modern sounding. Powerful synths follow and then it settles with piano and guitar. Vocals and a relaxing sound follow. This is great ! Some growly bass as the sound gets fuller. Check out the guitar and overall sound 5 minutes in. Nice. Those powerful synths are back. Another cool track.

"The Ballad Of Fortune" is mid-paced with the focus on the vocals and of course the lyrics. It's ok. "The Dream" is much better with those synths and atmosphere. Samples too and other sounds come and go. Cool tune. "Dreamland" is eventually dominated by keys. It settles when the vocals come in.The tempo does pick up again. Not a fan of this one really. "Parasite" is better and heavier too. Great sound when the tempo picks up. Vocals before 2 minutes. "Sailing On By" has a nice heavy intro with raw guitar melodies as synths join in. It becomes brighter when the vocals arrive. The raw guitar is back before 3 minutes. Some soaring guitar after 4 minutes. This song has it's moments just like the album.