Dahlia's Tear - Dreamsphere

This year started in a really strong manner for the dark ambient scene. Few solid releases were out on Loki and Cyclic Law during the first months of 2012, giving it a promising start. Some of the CD's were reviewed here and there by Brutal Resonance crew members to bring our readers the part of our inspiration from those albums. And now it is April to spread even better news. One of most honorable and veteran labels of the scene which we thought to be out of business already, regains power, takes a deep breath and blasts out with a set of solid albums and again proves the fact, that once you put your leg into the scene, you can never pop off without regret. Today it is Cold Meat Industry to bring delight into my heart resurrecting the line of its artists. And one of the bullets that shoot me down, is Dahlia's Tear long awaited album called 'Dreamsphere'.

Five long years passed from the last record of Dahlia's Tear. Finding its new home at Cold Meat, this formation naturally leveled the expectations from the new album. And here it is, right in my hand while I willingly dive into that creation.

It is always hard to review the albums that are highly abstract and individually oriented. Those albums can touch different strings inside each individuality, rising subjective feelings. And this is the case of 'Dreamsphere' as well. The album welcomes the listener with "The Transition" and top level cinematics hit me from the very beginning. Opening the gate into obscure haunted house, diving into the deep lake of horror and terror, this is the first step of the journey. Each door inside it hides a different nightmare; each floor is covered with a blood of innocent victims. Extremely complex sound layers are engraved with samples of women chanting, creepy children ghostly voices fill the ambience, percussion and huge amount of field recordings. The usage of tribal soundscapes inside the structure rises the feeling of an ancient cults and human sacrifices to beseech cruel gods of long forgotten times. "Carousel of the Headless Horse" brings the vision of the abandoned park with the real carousel and rotten childish zombified figures, dead trees spread their branches over the decaying pool, death and devastation is everywhere. Able usage of different sampled gramophone sounds, various field recordings, church bells ringing and cinematic manipulation with the musical structures are the key to the heart of a squeamish listener like me. Extremely mystical "Dreamscape (Liquid Chamber)" captures me with more and more elements, like a slight background piano melodies, cracking, clicking, running water effects.

And here they come, two most powerful tracks of the album for my taste. First of all "Toward the Dark Cellar", a totally massive, which fully consists of a deep piano melody, enchanting me with its uncovered dark beauty and sadness, supported by background field recordings. And of course, "An Enigma in the Black Gap", which wide and colorful tribal soundscapes rise ancient spirits of earth and water to transform by the end of the track into enormous flow of strong droning dying layers.

Six long compositions create a vast landscape that fit a hundred percent into the concept of Cold Meat Industry scene vision, cultivated almost two decades. An example of successful mix between experimental, industrial and neoclassical cultures, and as a result is a brilliant record to inflame the hearts of even the most hard-boiled fans of dark ambient genre. Apr 16 2012