Review Summary: Consistently underwhelming, and not really as "progressive" as it makes itself out to be.
What exactly does it mean when a band or album gets labeled “progressive”? I was always under the impression that it meant the band or album in question is part of a certain genre, but often experiments and goes outside of that genre’s typical comfort zone. When I think of a “progressive” rock band, I think of a band that uses the standard “rock” music aesthetic as a focal point, but also does many different things outside that focal point. These things can include, but are not limited to, incorporating instruments not commonly found in rock, writing long, sprawled-out compositions with passages dedicated entirely to creating an atmosphere, setting aside parts of (sometimes entire) songs for band show-off time, or all of the above. Based on my own observations, I think this is a very commonly accepted and reasonable definition of “progressive.” If someone were to alter it, there wouldn’t be any major changes made. But it seems these days, this definition of “progressive” is changing. It’s definitely changing in the modern metalcore scene, anyway. Let me explain.
There were plenty of metalcore bands in the late 90s and early 2000s that were playing outside of the typically accepted comfort zones of metal and hardcore. And since these bands were doing so and could validly be considered “progressive metalcore,” none of them really sounded alike. Yes, they had their similarities (mainly their musical focal point), but they weren’t carbon copies of each other, like many metalcore bands are today. Now, sometime, somewhere along the timeline of metalcore, a band started incorporating very produced-sounding clean vocals, reverby, atmospheric guitar, and keyboards/synths into their sound. Since this hadn’t been done before whenever it happened, it was legitimately considered “progressive metalcore.” Then, other bands became intrigued and began playing this same style of metalcore themselves. Now, so many bands play in this style, it’s practically become its own distinct sub-genre. When people hear reverby, pseudo-epic guitar, clean/screaming harmonies, and breakdowns in front of a synth-heavy backdrop, they think “progressive metalcore.” What I’m getting at here is if so many bands play in this same style, and all sound extremely similar, can the style really be called “progressive” anymore? How can these bands say they’re exploring outside of their metalcore focal point, when what they’re playing has already become their focal point?
This is precisely the problem with After the Burial’s latest “progressive metalcore” offering,
In Dreams. No, I never spoke with the band and heard them say they consider this album to “progressive,” I can hear it in the music. The way in which all the guitar solos are placed, the way the riffs are twisted and grooved to sound more like Meshuggah, nearly everything the album does makes it sound like it’s trying extremely hard to be as forward-thinking as possible. But ironically,
In Dreams hardly ever leaves its spot on the shelf of recycled “progressive metalcore.”
The riffs are pretty well-written and fairly entertaining, but I can hear that when I listen to most any competent metalcore band. After the Burial try to differentiate themselves from their “non-progressive” peers by doing things like having atmospheric lead-ups into breakdowns, and incorporating virtuosic guitar solos, but not only have these things been done a thousand times before, After the Burial doesn’t even execute them in an original way. The breakdowns sound just as generic as ever, and sure, the solo in “My Frailty” is fantastic, but to be honest, it’s overshadowed by the rest of the song’s utter mediocrity.
That’s another thing this album does, let you down. The admittedly awesome intro to “Pendulum” only leads into a melodic verse with those weak, hardcore-esque vocals and that fake emotional charge overproduced metalcore albums like these are known for. The first verse of “Bread Crumbs & White Stones,” led by another cool-but-not-cool-enough riff, leads into a breakdown that sounds like it’s supposed to be heavy as hell, but ends up leaving no effect whatsoever. It’s just another way-low-tuned, choppy riff played pretty much entirely on the sixth string, another thing a lot of modern metalcore bands are known for. And that pretty much sums up the entire album, average and underwhelming. There’s nothing here that classic metalcore bands of the late 90s and early 2000s didn’t surpass, there’s nothing that hasn’t been done better by the vast majority of modern metalcore bands, hell, there’s nothing here After the Burial haven’t done better themselves.
In Dreams runs around in its costume of atmosphere and proficient musicianship, and seems like it thinks it’s the first to do so. But if one digs a bit deeper, they’ll find nothing here that hasn’t been done better by metalcore bands of yesteryear or yesterday. Sure, a lot of the riffs are fun, and there’s a few cool solos, but it’s not enough to make me want to keep listening to them, rather than putting in a much better album by a band of the same style. Yes, I realize that two albums can both be great while one is still better than the other, but In Dreams is just
so average, that I can pretty much guarantee I would never sit back and listen to it again, even if I could find any replay value in it.
In Dreams seems to proudly wave the “progressive” flag, but never actually progresses. It hardly takes any baby steps.
