In This Moment - The Dream Album Review

Review of In This Moment's album 'The Dream'.

Formed in 2005, In This Moment are an American quintet who will shortly be performing in the UK as part of the Give It A Name series of gigs to promote this, their second album. They will then head back across the Atlantic and spend the summer on the famed Warp Tour.

If the thought of a metal band fronted by a female singer turns your stomach and evokes memories of Evanescence, you need quite not fear for Maria Brink's vocals do not take the operatic approach. The lesser known Lacuna Coil are a better point of reference, with Maria Brink employing a mix of 'clean' singing and screams, while musically the band indulge in crunching chords, melodies and the odd section of thrashing. 'Forever' is a good representation of the record, an energetic riff kicking it off and a euphoric chorus that wouldn't be lost in bigger venues. 'Lost At Sea' and 'Mechanical Love' could also prove to be sing-a-longs and form part of a strong middle section of 'The Dream', while 'Into The Light' stands out for being a pure ballad. Based around a piano and with haunting strings, the band resist the temptation to bring in guitars at any point, something which they should be commended for as it makes the song much more poignant and unpredictable. A bonus track cover of Blondie's 'Call Me' is wisely faithful apart from being heavier and the only time that the skip button is really required is on the messy noise that constitutes 'The Great Divide'.

Generally speaking though, In This Moment have presented a decent album which should find favour with fans of the genre.

Alex Lai