Review Summary: Forget just Christian Rock. When Dreams Become Reality is one of the best '70s rock revivalist albums ever released. Deep yet immediate, Thieves and Liars' debut is a true gem.
They sure don't make music like they used to.
Remember taking home that Led Zeppelin Vinyl and listening to it for the first time?
Me neither, but my dad does.
Those were the days! Listening to Rush's 2112 in the car, you're guaranteed to crash if you tried fully immersing yourself into the music. Classic bands from the '70s either had such mesmerizing class or a complete lack thereof that allowed them to transcend all other mundane forms of artistic expression. It's no wonder teens still sport Pink Floyd and AC/DC apparel like it's nobody's business. It is in this state of mind that Thieves and Liars' dreams become reality.
Thieves and Liars are a hard rock trio that is clearly influenced by '70s rock. Aside from Joey Bradford's gritty sing/scream style, they sound like a long lost late '70s act, only with miraculously good production values. The seven minute opening song "The Dream" betrays a strong Pink Floyd imitation, only to be blasted away by the second, quasi-metal song "Betrayed By Blood." Awesome riffs, a great chorus, a sweet guitar solo, and an undeniably invigorating scream "I've been be-TRAAAAAAAAYED BYYYYYYY BLOOOOD!" make for quite an unexpected turn for the better. This kicks off a streak from tracks two to four of blissful hard rock/metal. "Road to Nowhere" sounds enough like AC/DC to get you going but not too much to get you going to your "Back in Black" CD. The main riff to "Slaving Away" sounds very similar to Anthrax's classic "Caught in a Mosh", but just the fact it can be compared to a thrash metal song should put a smile on anyone's face.
Wait. Don't these lyrics sound kinda familiar? It seems like they're telling a story that I've already heard.
A dream...betrayal at the hands of blood brothers...slaving away...what the heck. Is this a hard rock concept album based on the life of Joseph from the book of Genesis? You better believe it. Aside from being a Christian band that plays '70s style hard rock, Thieves and Liars took it upon themselves to craft a concept album based on a story everyone knows and radical conservatives will freak if you screw up. Risky, anyone?
The next song "Run" tells the convoluted tale of Joseph running from his master's eager wife in a simple yet effective AC/DC manner. "Alone" and "Forgotten" tell of Joseph's time in prison complete with violins and lyrics of solitude and lost dreams. "Forgotten" is the real highlight. At 9:17, the songs tells of Joseph's prayer of despair and hope the most dramatic way possible with more than a small dose of "Stairway to Heaven" in the mix. This really exemplifies everything that Thieves and Liars is good at--conjuring nostalgia while still writing good music in its own right. The album finishes the story with a trade-off of hard rockers and bluesy numbers all with a hint of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. By the time the seventy-one minute album is over, you have been told a great traditional story in an extremely untraditional way. Sure, When Dreams Become Reality may slow down a bit towards the end, and the Pink Floydian soundscapes throughout can be a drag, but the album as a whole comes off as one of the most interesting concept albums in years.
Recommended tracks:
"Betrayed By Blood"
"Road to Nowhere"
"Forgotten"
