Search - In This Moment :: The Dream (The Ultra Violet Edition)

Nice additions

Bom06 | 08/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The acoustic performances are well done but like mentioned before, I wish they were on DVD not a video file. And one star to Amazon. Bought the cd on Saturday, went on sale Monday for $4 cheaper and they were unable to refund me the diffence. Love the cd, not a big fan of Amazon's customer service."

A lot different from Beautiful Tragedy

tehuti_88 | Cheboygan, MI United States | 07/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'll be the first to admit I did not enjoy "Beautiful Tragedy." The music was promising, the lead singer's (Maria Brink's) voice was promising, but then she screamed throughout the entire CD. I prefer melodic singing over screaming, so I listened to the CD only once before putting it away. Hence when I saw "The Dream," I refrained from buying it until reading the reviews at Amazon complaining that there's no screaming--I then bought it and have found it much more enjoyable and accessible than its predecessor.



I'm not saying that "Beautiful Tragedy" was a horrible album, just that it appeals to a type of listener different from one who'd prefer "The Dream." Like the complaints went, there's little screaming to be found on this CD aside from in "The Great Divide" (the only song on the CD which I always skip); Maria uses her voice to sing this time, and while some people prefer screaming, I prefer singing. One is not better or worse than the other, they're just different styles. I find nothing wrong in In This Moment putting out a more mainstream CD; some might call it selling out, but one can't say for sure what it means. Perhaps their next effort will return to the screaming, perhaps they'll stay with this style or try something new yet again. All I can say is I prefer this style myself.



Maria's voice has an edge but she can really sing, especially when she yells--not screams, but yells. The best I can describe her on this CD with my limited listening experience is as a harsher, edgier Pat Benatar for the 21st century. She can alternate easily between belting things out at the top of her lungs and singing in little more than a murmur. Most of the songs on this CD could easily appeal to listeners of more mainstream hard rock music or melodic metal. Standout tracks are "Forever," "All For You," "Lost At Sea," "Into The Light," and "You Always Believed." Most of the music is faster and more upbeat though there's the occasional slower moment; "Into The Light" is the main such song ("The doctor's saying hold on tight/As we say our last goodbyes/And this is a moment that changes our whole lives"), much quieter and more restrained than its fellows, and brings me to tears every time I listen to it. Despite a supposed "Alice In Wonderland" theme (with accompanying jacket artwork depicting the band members as characters from the story), the lyrics don't really hint at any such thing and the songs could relate to everyday situations that most of us have been through; "Forever" being a song apparently pining for a missing love ("It's been three weeks/Your voice is all I have to hold/I lie here alone/Awaiting for my love's return"), "You Always Believed" a musical thank you for the support of a friend ("And you held me through it all/And you never let me fall/And you let me fly away/And you always believed in me"--who wouldn't want someone like that?), etc. In short, the type of stuff you could easily hear on the radio--and as I already said, that's not a bad thing, just what some of us prefer to hear.



I then purchased the "Ultra Violet" re-release of this CD which is a two-CD set, pretty much the original CD plus a cardboard slipcase for the second CD. (There is supposed video content on the CD which I have not perused.) The music on this bonus CD is worth paying extra--there's a pretty faithful cover of Blondie's "Call Me," and two new songs, "Sailing Away" and "A Dying Star"--though I have a couple of complaints. Firstly, I'd have preferred a special two-CD case as opposed to the cardboard slipcase which forces a user to grasp the CD surface with their fingers and to pull it from the case which after time results in surface scratching; I wish CD manufacturers would realize that some of us prefer standard plastic jewel cases for this very reason. Secondly, and more importantly, the track listing seems incorrect; the songs listed on the CD are "Call Me," "Sailing Away," "A Dying Star," "Call Me Instrumental," and "Forever Instrumental," yet the songs I heard were "Call Me," "Sailing Away," "A Dying Star," what seems to be a radio edit of "Forever" (with vocals, just slightly shorter than the original CD version), and an instrumental version of "Call Me." I was looking forward to the instrumental version of "Forever," so to receive instead a shortened version of the vocal song was a disappointment; I could just listen to the longer, original song on the first CD. I'm not sure why this mistake occurred nor if it's the same on all CDs but I thought I'd point it out. "Sailing Away" and "My Dying Star" are decent songs in the style of the main CD, and Maria does a great job covering Blondie, so it's not a total loss.



I personally hope that In This Moment decides to stick with the style of "The Dream" and not return to the screaming of "Beautiful Tragedy," but that's just me; I'm pretty sure fans of "Beautiful Tragedy" are hoping for the opposite. Whatever In This Moment ends up doing, it's safe to say they're talented, and Maria can sing (when she wants to); so whether she chooses to sing or to scream, one group of listeners is going to end up satisfied. All I can do in this particular moment is recommend this particular CD. Different strokes for different folks.

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