JACOBS DREAM
| Track List: 1. "Kinescope" 3:34 2. "Funambulism" 4:33 3. "Scape Goat" 5:06 4. "Mad House of Cain" 3:01 5. "Tale of Fears" 4:29 6. "Crusade" 4:10 7. "Black Watch" 3:55 8. "Love & Sorrow" 4:15 9. "The Gathering" 3:24 10. "Never Surrender" 4:13 11. "The Bleeding Tree" 3:49 12. "Violent Truth" 3:18 Label: Metal Blade Year of Release: 2000 |
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| Debut Release | Similar Albums (in sound): Queensryche - Queensryche (EP) Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind Metallica - Kill 'Em All |
| Here we go with another up-and-coming band that plays metal in the vein of classic Iron Maiden and older Queensryche with subtle similarities to Rush and Metallica-like riffing. Christian-oriented lyrics are along for the ride, too! You may really like these guys... |
| 1. "Kinescope" - The
lead vocalist of Jacobs Dream sounds like a mix of Queensryche's Geoff Tate and Iron
Maiden's Bruce Dickinson (with a touch of Geddy Lee from Rush). This, of course, gives
Jacobs Dream a very Iron Maiden/Queensryche sound. This song sounds like a mix of The
Warning era Queensryche and '80s Maiden and it's a damn, good combination on this heavy
rocker. 2. "Funambulism" - Boy, these guys really got the Maiden and 'Ryche vocals & vocal melodies down and they've got it down good. The music isn't necessarily imitative of Maiden and 'Ryche. In fact, the music reminds me a bit (now I said "a bit" so don't get TOO excited) of '80s Metallica. 3. "Scape Goat" - The two guitar attack of Jacobs Dream is awesome here. This, coupled with some cool vocal distortions, make this a great song. 4. "Mad House of Cain" - Well, this is a creepy song. Images of early Fates Warning come to my mind here. You know those slow, mystical songs that Fates Warning would occasionally throw at the listener on their first three albums? Right here we have one. Excellent song, very spooky. 5. "Tale of Fears" - Vocalist David Taylor is a good singer and he soars here. This is another song that brings Fates Warning to mind. Though most of the song is slow and building, this song has some incredible spurts of blistering guitar work. This is a really cool, haunting song. 6. "Crusade" - Iron Ryche? Queensmaiden? Not quite but that's a damn, good approximation. What am I saying here? If you've heard Maiden and 'Ryche, you've heard this kinda heard this song before. But that's okay, it's a GOOD song. The two guitar attack is awesome, Metallica is brought to mind again. 7. "Black Watch" - Cool instrumental. Very Metallica-like at times. 8. "Love & Sorrow" - Another good song. More Metallica/Maiden/'Ryche musings all around. 9. "The Gathering" - If various members of Queensryche, Fates Warning, Iron Maiden and Metallica had hooked up in the early '80s, would this song have been the result? No, but it might have been very similar to this. "Is it that good?" you ask? Well, no. But it's still good. 10. "Never Surrender" - Oh my! Metallica guitars galore (think Kill 'Em All or Ride the Lightning)! Good thing, really, for it makes a good song. The vocal melodies are fabulous--unusual but catchy. 11. "The Bleeding Tree" - If it wasn't for the Metallica-like guitars and the synthesizer, you might think this song was a lost track from Queensryche's first full-length album, The Warning. And if it sounds like something off of The Warning, it's gotta be good, eh? You got it, buddy! 12. "Violent Truth" - Another high-octane, house-burning, ass-kicking song. If you've heard Iron Maiden and Queensryche before, you're in familiar territory. But so what? It's the songwriting that counts, bub! |
I'll say it: If you're looking for something
new, this ain't it. But if you really like '80s Maiden, early Queensryche, early Fates
Warning and '80s Metallica, you'll probably get a kick out of this album. I'm not saying
these guys are as good as the aforementioned bands but they do have tons of potential.
Maybe the band should've called themselves Metalheads Dream... |
