Season Of Dreams are a Swedish based melodic metal band formed in 2018, releasing their debut album ‘My Shelter’ in 2020. The bands sophomore album ‘Heroes’ was released in 2021…
…with Jean-Michael Volz (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards) commenting about the title song ‘Heroes’ “it is a tribute to the medical staff who amazingly helped the world in a war against the virus”…in reference to the global virus that wreaked havoc around the world during 2020 and 2021, including the cancellation of performing live. With the world now slowly recovering, and live performances returning, Season Of Dreams launches their new album – an album that features a number of special guests: Jimmy Hedlund (Falconer), Nils Courbaron (Sirenia/T.A.N.K.), Olivier Lapauze (Heavenly), Mikael Dahl (Crystal Eyes), Emil Norberg (Persuader/Savage Circus), Martin Floberg (Enbound), and Kristoffer Gobel (Six Foot Six/Falconer).
The new album is ten songs across fifty plus minutes of melodic power metal, all coming to life with the bombastic ‘Shadowreaper’ – a heavy hitter heavy enough to blow a massive hole in the Earth’s surface. ‘Shadowreaper’ is a heady mix of metal and rock, all wrapped up in a blanket of melodious intent. The majestic and symphonic metal-tinged ‘Heroes’ struts in on a wave of exquisite keyboards, becoming a mid-tempo metal march. And the message the band get across via the lyrics is incredibly heartwarming – and means so much to anyone who suffered at the hands of the virus. Pace lights up the album in the mighty shape of ‘Legions Of The Werewolves’ – a perfectly executed European sounding power metal gallop. Think bands such as Helloween and Iron Savior, and you’ll get the idea.
‘Princess Of The Dark’ brings back the mid-tempo melodic march of earlier, but with a much bigger atmosphere. Stepping over the boundary into the glory style of metal, Season Of Dreams are covering every kilometre of the heavy metal genre – ‘Princess Of The Dark’ a big, bold, and bombastic swagger. The band’s self-titled song ‘Season Of Dreams’ takes the listener into the realms of symphonic power metal, adopting an almost anthemic stance as it progresses. The mid-tempo thunder of ‘Season Of Dreams’ is as heavy-hitting as a wrecking ball in full swing, with Season Of Dreams marching through the epic and glory genres of metal with aplomb. At over seven minutes in length, ‘Light Comes From The Darkness’, is the longest song on offer, and shows a clean pair of heels – at least for the first minute or so! Then ‘Light Comes From The Darkness’ becomes a symphonic hymn-like march of truly epic proportions. The bold nature is bordering on the cinematic – a surround sound crescendo of majesticness.
A Middle Eastern flavour washes over the intro to ‘Reign Of Wisdom’, quickly dissipating to become a hard-hitting slice of heavy come power metal. Dropping the symphonic edge of a previous couple of songs, Season Of Dreams adopt a driving “foot on the monitor” style. A style that just begs for heads to be banged – hard! ‘If I Die Tomorrow’ brings the mood right down low, and we find ourselves wandering through the garden of ballads. An atmosphere of serenity descends upon the album, with swaying from side to side the involuntary action that ‘If I Die Tomorrow’ demands. Barnstorming power metal returns to the fore with the emphatic ‘To The Glory’ – all heavy-hitting and high kicking. Fast passages are blended with a hymn-like march, making ‘To The Glory’ a glorious anthemic style romp. The album comes to a close with the thunderous heavy hitter ‘Eternity’. The most “metal” of all songs on offer, ‘Eternity’ is a cracking end to a very good album of heavy come symphonic come power metal.
Overall, an infectious and highly melodic album, featuring elements of the symphonic, anthemic, and glory styles of heavy metal.
TRACKLIST
Shadowreaper
Heroes
Legions Of The Werewolves
Princess Of The Dark
Season Of Dreams
Light Comes From The Darkness
Reign Of Wisdom
If I Die Tomorrow
To The Glory
Eternity
Season Of Dreams: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Category: Album
Country: France / Sweden
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, Metal Gods TV, and Metal-Roos.
