Title: Metropolitan West
Artist: Neon Dream
Genre: Gothic Rock
Release Date: 21st November 2008
Label: Equinoxe Records
Album Review
This German band around singer and mastermind Klaus Möllers formed in 1998 and in the following time released two demos and had their first appearance at famous Wave Gotik Treffen. In 2003, they eventually came around the corner with their debut ‘Anodyne’ which received a remarkable reception in the scene press including a feature on radio Santiago de Chile. On countless live performances with big names like DAS ICH, CATASTROPHE BALLET or CHRISTIAN DEATH they could prove their live qualities. 5 years after ‘Anodyne’ at the end of 2008 comes their sophomore release ‘Metropolitan West’.
A ‘Flight to Dusk’ opens the disc and this flight is marked by a soft breeze of synthetic choirs that are gently carrying you through the sky towards the setting sun. The sublime string sequence at the end serves as a short introduction for ‘Black Cicada’ that is keeping a melancholic theme, shining through a curtain made of towering guitar riffs and thundering drum parts. That’s when Klaus Möllers’ deep, pervading voice comes in and his style is more akin to narrating than real singing here. He wants to tell the story in his very own way and that is not less legitimate or touching than an actual singing performance can be. ‘Metropolitan West’ seems to initially walk a calmer path, then moves straight towards rocking territory and the heavy riffs show as plain as can be a harder side of NEON DREAM’s music, while still not holding back with a bunch of synthetic atmospherics in the form of carrying strings that are taking the backseat for the most part.
If you’d prefer a softer approach I’m sure your ears will be pleased with the track ‘Veils’ personally reminding me of classic Gothic Wave and now comes the part you’ll love: It’s flooded with melodies of the most melancholic kind, they’re like a wistful symphony, supporting Klaus’s special vocals, but this track has another specialty. Klaus is joined on the mic by a female vocalist whose timbre is quite the opposite of his, both are harmonizing perfectly though. What would it sound like if you’d have to put the theme of the ‘Last Hours’ into music? Maybe like NEON DREAM did it on ‘Metropolitan West’, like a dreamy ballad refined with a poignant piano melody, carrying a farewell mood of sorts all the way through that won’t leave you until the song has ended. ‘Exil’ is less a regular song than it is an ambient collage imbued by prose, declaimed by Klaus - an own creation it seems - and is something I didn’t expect to find on this album. Take that as a compliment as I really love such spoken-word tracks.
NEON DREAM don’t limit themselves on their second record and try out everything from Ambient and gentle, balladry tracks to straighter and more powerful rock tunes, they don’t even back away from putting a almost entirely electronic & club-compatible track on the album with ‘Sexaholica’. Maybe that would sound ridiculous on other albums of this genre; on ‘Metropolitan West’ it works out, so this album is hard to beat in terms of diversity and if I may draw your attention to the artwork; the cover in particular that’s radiating a great atmosphere in my opinion.
Tracklist
01. Flight to Dusk – 2:25
02. Black Cicada – 3:07
03. Metropolitan West – 3:52
04. Beyond – 0:54
05. Stealth – 5:15
06. Veils – 6:08
07. Agnostic – 4:57
08. Last Hours – 6:54
09. Exil – 3:05
10. Denial – 0:47
11. A Child's Night Dream – 6:11
12. Sexaholica – 5:13
13. Human Replica – 6:33
14. 1Bonus_ Overscreening (2000) – 4:27
Line-up
Klaus Möllers - Vocals
Maik Rielmann - Guitar
Günther Wissmann - Synths
Lars Kappeler - Bass
Lutz Niggetiedt - Drums
Website
http://www.neondream.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/redlightanodyne
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 7
Extras: 7
Total: 7 / 7
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