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ALBUM: No Compromises ARTIST: Dreamers Crime
Actions speak louder than words, but album titles seem to speak louder than actions with Sydney heavy-hitters Dreamers Crime and their debut full-length album 'No Compromises' poised to partially melt your speakers and your expectations this Friday.
Having unveiled three thumping singles ahead of the release, it seemed there would be no surprises lurking on 'No Compromises' - but having been nearly two years in the making, the end result is a journey in polished consistency with the occasional shroud of the unexpected that sees this enigmatic quintet firmly comfortable with their style, in control of their sound, and just flat-out waging war on settling for second-best.
The album jumps out with 'The Pulse', boasting some solid riffage and some blistering vocals from frontman Peter Repousis. But what initially seems like a simple exercise in standard metalcore quickly gives way to something much more - this is a hard rock song with a metal soul, and it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. 'We All Know Now' ups the hardcore ante next, serving up an anthemic outing that pours some melodic sprinkling over relentless rhythms. Up next is one of the lead singles 'I Believe In You' poising the group at their commercial best - but in no way is this a dig. A short and sweet track, the vocals are bold and brassy, the bridge is soft and classy before building into an explosive breakdown that highlights the group's technical skills and their ability to craft blasting ear-worms.
Up next is 'Here We Are', yet another super short track just falling shy of three minutes - but with a cleaner vocal outing, the track shows off a moderately different side for the group, while tracks 'Secrets' and 'Interstellar Nights' end up being just some straight-up barrels of fun - they're rocky, they're riffy and unwittingly packing some gnarly pop-tastic tones that are just begging for a music video with a huge wind machine. 'Lost Connection' puts a bit more of the "hard" in hard rock, with workhouse guitars (courtesy of Simon Kapsis and Michael Mikulicin) bellowing out beneath sprawling vocals and some sparkling drum work.
Coming straight out of 'Lost Connection' and its abrupt ending is 'Breathe Again', scaling back the grit without compromising on power. Here, the vocals are raw, and it's a song you can imagine belting out after a horrific breakup. The second-last song gives us the title track, kicking off with some brief ambience before blasting into some bang-up, post-hardcore delights; there's a surge of emotional significance on this track that has been building for the entire album, culminating in a heartfelt final product that isn't afraid to wear its shredded heart on its sleeve. But just when you think it's all over, we end things on a very different note with 'Love Kills Heroes', an acoustic track that showcases the true range of Repousis - this dude can heartbreakingly croon as much as he can screech and the whole song is an unexpected slide away from expected type; perhaps proving the point of the whole album.
Overall, the album certainly never skimps on ferocity or the chance to flex some riffs, but there's a pleasantly surprising amount of light and shade that permeates each track; 'No Compromises' sees the Dreamers Crime boys tenaciously display their knack for catchy songwriting with their technical know-how and profound sense of self, and it's a solidly heavy affair that will continually surprise you with its sincerity.
'No Compromises' is out this Friday November 17th. For preorders head here.
For more information head to: www.facebook.com/dreamerscrime
For album launch show info head here.
BY TIANA SPETER