Another strong release came out this summer. We’re talking about Lucid Dreaming’s fourth album, which follows the familiar path of power metal with a concept-driven lyrical approach.
For those unfamiliar with the band, it is the brainchild of Till Oberbobel, who – as on previous releases – plays guitar and bass and serves as the composer. The material falls into the opera category, as we encounter a great number of singers taking on the various heroes of the work. I’ll come back to this later.
So, while it may have taken Till six years to release new material, this is certainly his most ambitious project to date. The first difference compared to his previous work is the album’s theme. We’re moving from Norse mythology to German history – specifically, the 1848 revolution and the class conflict. It’s definitely an interesting topic, especially if you’re a history nerd like me!
If we look at the names of the singers featured here, we’ll be blown away. From Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) to Blaze Baley (Iron Maiden, Blaze) and from Harry Conklin (Jag Panzer) to Zak Stevens (Savatage) – and I’ll stop here because the list goes on and on. Of course, there are also some heavy hitters on the instruments, with Alex Holzwarth (Siege Even and many others) on drums being the most impressive.
Musically dynamic without offering anything groundbreaking – we’re talking power metal here – the material is so well-crafted and high-quality that it won’t leave any fan of the genre unmoved. The guitars, along with the vocals, take center stage, so the music is quite heavy and fast-paced. Uwe Lulis’s production is outstanding, and the artwork by Dusan Markovic fits the music perfectly.
Don’t let this album slip under your radar. We’re talking about an exceptional work in its genre.
Michael Ntalakos
