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FIRST DRAFT

TDW / Dreamwalkers Inc.

Heavy Prog


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TDW / Dreamwalkers Inc. First Draft album cover
3.09 | 4 ratings | 1 reviews | 25% 5 stars

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Studio Album, released in 2004

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. ...? (1:08)
2. Endless (4:12)
3. The Mourning After (3:26)
4. Happy Day (3:03)
5. Innerburn (5:02)
6. Mosquitos (4:10)
7. New Strength (6:00)
8. Your Room (3:43)
9. My Loss (4:40)
10. ...! (0:56)

Total Time 36:20

Line-up / Musicians

- Tom De Wit / vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, drum programming, composer

With:
- Ramon de Wilde / guitar
- Brian Vijber / guitar

Releases information

Artwork: Tom De Wit

CDr Self-released (2004, Netherlands) Small-scale release
CD Layered Reality Productions - LRP-CDTDW006 (2011, Netherlands) Re-titled "First Re-Draft", re-recording of the original songs from 2004

Thanks to TDW for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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TDW / DREAMWALKERS INC. First Draft ratings distribution


3.09
(4 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(25%)
25%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(0%)
0%
Good, but non-essential (75%)
75%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

TDW / DREAMWALKERS INC. First Draft reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Easy Livin
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
3 stars Musically mature beyond his years

The initials TDW represent a young musician from The Netherlands by the name of Tom De Wit. When he recorded this his first album in early 2004, he was just 16 years old. The album took 2 weeks to write and record, De Wit undertaking all the songwriting and production duties, along with the vocals. He also plays all the instruments you hear, with the exception of some of the guitars, where he is supported by Ramon de Wilde and Brian Vijber.

The brief "..?" which opens the album is certainly intriguing, the abstract melody being vaguely Floydian. It is though when the pounding rhythms of "Endless" burst in that we get our first real taste of TDW. The track is an amalgam of metallic riffs, gothic vocals and symphonic synths. De Wit is clearly ambitious with regard to both his songwriting and arrangements, and the results are surprisingly impressive. "The mourning after" mixes shades of Porcupine Tree with Dream Theater style heavy metallic drums. The rawness of the composition is well disguised by some nice production.

"Happy day" features some impressively melodic singing, the tone being rather like that of Scott Walker. The guitar work on this track is particularly notable, but perhaps the piece could have been developed a bit further. "Innerburn" is a sort of "Endless" part 2, the lyrics being well composed while revealing the impressionable youth of the writer. "Mosquitos" begins with some appropriate buzzing sounds the track taking a bit longer to introduce the heavy riffs and drumming which dominate the album. The track is an instrumental piece which is generally looser, more improvisational, than the relatively tight arrangements of it peers.

"New strength" and the two subsequent tracks form a three part piece with the sub-title "At the end of love", although each is a self contained track. "New strength", at 6 minutes the longest track on the album, returns us to the Porcupine Tree style, with shifting time signatures driving the piece forward. "Your room" finally offers a breather from the heaviness of the album, the track being primarily acoustic. This gives De Wit the opportunity to put the emphasis on his vocal, which in turn rises to the challenge well.

"My loss", the third part of the trilogy, opens in a Sisters of Mercy like gothic style, gradually building as the drums and cathedral like organ push things along. The album closes with ".!" which forms a suitable bookend with the opening piece.

While the tracks here have a certain naivety, De Wit pulls it off well, creating an album which belies his tender years and lack of experience. The blending of a number of styles popular in these parts will help this album appeal to many who come here, particularly those with an ear for the more metallic aspects of prog. There are no epics as such, but De Wit's willingness to take his songs beyond the simple structures of pop suggest that here we have a talent we will hear a lot more of in the future.

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