REVOICED

This is a re-recording of best songs from Dreamscape's first albums with a new vocalist. A pretty good one, I might add, slightly accented, but strong and emotional and without high pitched histrionics. A more manly La Brie, if you will.

At this point, Dreamscape is fairly compact prog metal. Songs are about 5 minutes length, with ample changes of mood, but no over-complicated song structures or lengthy solos. On subsequent albums they would get longer and even more intense and emotional. Dreamscape could reasonably be called Dreamtheater clone - a very good clone - if the band's leader didn't insist he formed it before anyone heard of Dreamtheater.

Anyway, Dreamscape distinguishes itself in this over-populated genre by doing very good contrasts in the music - thrash and melodic metal, heavy verse-light choruses (or vice versa), crushing guitar riffs and very diverse keyboards (in fact, keys are as much of a highlight as the guitar, doing both beautiful piano lines and dark atmospherics, playing independent melodies along with the guitar, not just complementing it).

The first albums, if rated independently, probably deserve a 3 star. But as a compilation of the better songs, this album and the even better 5th Season album (convincing 5 stars) are the ones from Dreamscape that I would keep.

After 2004's 'End of Silence', Dreamscape went back to re-record a number of songs from both of their first two albums with current vocalist Roland Stoll. The result, 'Revoiced', is a fantastic slice of progressive metal that pretty much negates the bands earliest releases, but also offers up some of their most definitive work.

Musically similar to Dream Theater (which prog metal band doesn't get that cliché thrown at them?), Dreamscape display dazzling instrumental abilities, with great interplay between guitars and keyboards, and a strong sense of melody that means that even the heavier moments still feel graceful, without being overbearingly brutal.

The production is fantastic, and really gives everyone ample space to shine, and Roland Stoll's voice is a much better fit for this band than his predecessors. Songs like 'Thorn in My Mind', 'Alone', 'Winter Dreams', 'When Shadows Are Gone' and 'She's Flying' are all fantastic examples of prog metal, and really demonstrate how gifted this German five- piece is.

The melodic tendencies of the band make this a more accessible release if you're an old-school prog fan looking to dabble in some prog metal, but find yourself deterred by the more heavier stuff. Overall, 'Revoiced' is an exceptional progressive metal album, that serves as a great starting point if you're new to Dreamscape.