Dreamstate Emergency releases new LP 'Oneirophobia'
The creative crew called Dreamstate Emergency have released their new LP, titled, “Oneirophobia.” The album is comprised
of nine original tracks for a running total of half an hour. A brutal, shocking, stabbing record with all the ferocity
and viciousness that speed and death metal have been aiming to achieve for more than thirty years, “Oneirophobia” is all
that is horrifyingly wrong with the world, wrapped up in a set list that will chill bones, grip hearts, and strip the
paint off of household appliances at appropriately high volumes.
This being roundly and explicitly understood, “Oneirophobia” is a work of great artistic integrity, vivid color, and
genius-level composition. It is metal for the thinking man. Perhaps best categorized as experimental metal more than
anything else, it belongs next to Neurosis in the audiophile's cherished record collection. Like Neurosis, Dreamstate
Emergency is not afraid of digital instrumentation and effects that are often frightening to the core. The careful
listener will hear air-raid sirens, faraway shell explosions, and much, much more. Additionally, they boast vocals that
shriek and howl, scream and tear in ways Metallica's James Hetfield has always wished he could pull off.
Dreamstate Emergency's drums pound in tribal, occult patterns that evoke visions of bonfires, chants, and black hoods.
Their guitars are like an ocean of orchestrated noise, a chorus of demonic sirens' calls from deep beneath the earth.
The brilliance of their guitar playing is perhaps best exemplified in their track, “Out of Body Experience.” The
listener who can hear the song through to its end without the hairs on his forearms standing up has no soul. Their
songwriting is masterful and tasteful, often surprisingly, almost impossibly precise. Their decision to leave “The
Awakening” in all its beautiful simplicity at barely over a minute long shows an understanding of musical principles
most artists never garner in decades of writing and performing.
All in all, “Oneirophobia” is likely the best metal album of 2013 so far, and may hold this title through to next year.
No metal fan should do without it, and music fans in general would do well to get over any phobias of their own and
visit this dark, scary place called Dreamstate Emergency.
ends