From Berlin, Germany comes Golem, a formidable melodic and technical death metal band whose third full length release Dreamweaver, is a pretty strong statement and should appeal to a wide variety of metal fans. On one hand, there's some lengthy, intricate tunes which will easily intrigue the prog-metal crowd. In addition, you get plenty of brutal death metal in the style of classic bands like Morbid Angel or Carcass. Towards the end of the CD there's also some prog-rock styled noodling that might interest that crowd. This all might sound a bit unfocused, and at times you do get the impression that the band is fighting some stylistic inner turmoil, but damn if they don't just impress the listener with just about everything they do.
The opening "Al-Ghanor" is a breathtaking mix of death and black metal, with furious vocal roars by Andreas Hilbert, rampaging blast beats and double bass from drummer Eric Krebs, and a wicked amount of tremelo picked guitar melodies. Think Dimmu Borgir meets Morbid Angel and you have an idea how this piece sounds. Dark and horror filled lyrics abound on the CD, and provide for an interesting read while you are getting bashed over the head with the blistering instrumental assault. Things get almost completely out of hand on the uncanny "Remote Control", which features not only furious and complex guitar riffs, but some of the most insane drum work I have heard in a while. Gorgeous and emotional guitar chords provide the intro to the doomy "Breeder", where the band slows down a bit (well, except for drummer Krebs that is!) and successfully plods along. You'll like the pounding rhythms and gurgling vocals of "Tomb", hints of the mighty Opeth on "Rose", as well as the melodic guitar harmonies of "Diaspora". Things get really interesting towards the back end of the CD, starting with the majestic organ sounds that kick off "The Tower", a symphonic near 8-minute mix of prog and black metal. This track is complex, orchestral, and melodic, and I'm hoping the band does more in this direction in the future. After the brief and exploratory guitar/keyboard instrumental title track, the band kicks into their epic take on Igor Stravinski's "Le Sacre du Printemps", an instrumental tour-de-force of progressive soundscapes and classical romps. Again, the band really shows their dexterity on material of this sort.
There you have it, a wild and adventurous tour through many different metallic styles for Golem on Dreamweaver. I think once this band settles on the direction they plan on moving in, they will be a monster force to be reckoned with. This one's close to being a scorcher folks, and the next can only be better.
Track Listing
1. Al-Ghanor
2. Starchild
3. Remote Control
4. Breeder
5. Afterglow
6. Rose
7. Tomb
8. Diaspora
9. Faces
10. Tower
11. Dreamweaver
12. Le Sacre du Printemps
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