Detailed Reviews [ 3 Dreams Never Dreamt - 2021 - "Another Vivid Detail"]

Prolusion. Italian band 3 DREAMS NEVER DREAMT have a history that goes back for a decade or so, but as a recording unit they've been rather quiet for a good few years now. Following 8 years on from their debut album, "Another Vivid Detail" is the band's new album, and it was released through the label My Kingdom Music at the start of 2021.

Analysis. I see with some interest that the band describe themselves as "A Surrealistic Avant Garde Metal act". It is an interesting description, but in my view at least also rather misleading: Have a listen to Sleepytime Gorilla Music guys, and you'll understand where I'm coming from. The metal archives have placed them inside a Gothic Metal context, which seems more appropriate, and they do stretch into classic era progressive metal as well on some levels. So pretty much a band on the border between these two latter subsets of metal in my view. This entire album pretty much revolves around a few different dimensions, in addition to being a concept story. We have parts with meaty, dominant riffs calling the shots, both as standalone parts and as the foundation for the lead vocals. Liberal amounts of guitar soloing is applied here and elsewhere, adding a contrasting element to these parts. More often than not this more heavy set, often doom-lades passages are apied off with lighter toned, more elegant arrangements sporting plucked, resonating guitar details, again with various forms of guitar soloing often being on top in the sections with as well as without the lead vocals present. Occasionally the band will opt for a tighter sound though, with dampened riffs or harder edged plucked guitar details, adding a bit of variation to the proceedings and as the foundation for a different mood and atmosphere. The controlled, emotional lead vocals are, by accident or plan, the strongest emotional factor in the compositions, and a key element for whether or not you'll enjoy the material at hand here. Personally I didn't really manage to get a deeper connection to these songs however. While the album is well made, just about everything sticks to a slow to midpaced tempo, and while the more bombastic intensity you'll find in a doom metal band just isn't present, the frantic energy of higher paced compositions is obviously missing too. And while vocalist Girardi has a fine voice, he doesn't have the natural talent to add the kind of firework vocal displays of a Geoff Tate to the proceedings either. It is a nice, easygoing and somewhat gloom-laden album, generally pleasant and inviting, and probably quite the joyful discovery for those fond of majestic, meaty and dominant guitar riffs used liberally throughout. But for me at least I miss features that makes me connect on a deeper level.

Conclusion. If you enjoy dark, doom-laden progressive metal without too many quirky features or challenging aspects, this is an album that has a good chance of being to your liking. In addition I suspect quite a few fans of traditional heavy metal and doom metal will find this album to be of interest too. In terms of comparisons, I'd say that this is a toned down, heavier and somewhat less expressive variety of the type of progressive metal Queensryche explored on their album "Operation: Mindcrime".

Progmessor: April 2021
The Rating Room