Review Summary: Dissection's long-lost child. An excellent album that, to its disadvantage, has pilfered Dissection's corpse far too much.
I remember my first
Dissection experience. I had read good things about the band online, and when I saw
Storm of the Light’s Bane in the CD store for 20 dollars, including a bonus CD, I pounced. I took my purchase home, and began listening to the wondrous album. That was maybe 2 years ago, and I still haven’t stopped listening. A little while ago I was online going through some different bands and I came across the German band
Black Horizons, and its album
A Dream’s Funeral. The summary said ‘Dissection-like blackened death metal’, so I immediately got myself a copy. The fact that the name of the band is the title of the first track on
Dissection’s The Somberlain was even more of a clue to what the band was going to sound like.
So I was expecting to hear a little
Dissection influence, maybe similar song themes etc., but I was really surprised. It sounds EXACTLY the same as
Dissection. I ask anybody who can be bothered, to listen to this album immediately after listening to
The Somberlain. It’s basically a clone. The only real difference I was able to hear was that, being newer,
A Dream’s Funeral was better produced. So when I decided to review this album, the real question that I had to answer was whether this exact clone of
Dissection was in itself a good album. And I’d have to say yes, it was reasonably enjoyable to listen to. However, it loses a whole lot of points for ripping off the unique sound
Dissection gave to us.
So where to start? The first thing I’ll do is recommend you to go and read the review for
The Somberlain. That’ll give you an idea of what to expect when you listen to
A Dream’s Funeral. But ignoring the fact that this is
Dissection all over again, I’ll talk about the album. It fuses melodic death with black metal elements, resulting in a haunting yet ferocious collection of songs which stick to your mind for long after you listen. There are several acoustic sections, be it in the middle of a song or as a song by itself (‘Falling’). As much as they copy
Dissection, they still manage to sound just as good.
Production-wise, the album is very well done. It’s the least you’d expect from an album that’s come out very recently. Everything sounds crisp and clear, especially the drums, and the vocals are at (in my opinion) a perfect volume in relation to the music. But therein lies another problem: the vocals. The other day I was playing Starcraft, and I decided to put on
A Dream’s Funeral for some background music. About 45 minutes later, as I was heavily engrossed in the game, I thought to myself ‘Man, Jon Nödtveidt does such cool vocals’. As good as he is, the vocalist for
Black Horizons could easily pass off for Nödtveidt, he sounds so similar: both use the exact same harsh, yet intelligible growl. Luckily, Nödtveidt has an excellent voice, so this is a plus for the album.
Sadly, as much as I can praise this album, it’s hindered by the fact that it sounds just like
Dissection. The album itself is very well made: there is no filler, all the songs are great, the production and instruments sound excellent, and the technique they employ is a joy to listen to. But being a clone does it no good. I thought to myself for a long while about what rating to give this album. I didn’t want to be too harsh, but I didn’t want them to get away with sounding the same as
Dissection. So in conclusion, the album itself is a 4, even a 4.5 if you love
Dissection. But I’m giving it 3.5, as punishment for copying what is one of the most brilliant bands to have ever existed.
Recommended Tracks:
Tears of Autumn
Nightshade
Far Away From Life
Frozen Blood
