Dreamland - Future's Calling
Mention Swedish power metal to most clued-up metal fans and they'll either: a) dissolve into fits of convulsive laughter; b) start swinging an imaginary hammer while bellowing "we're BLOOD BOUND!" at the top of their lungs; or c) both. "Future's Calling," the debut album from Gothenburg natives Dreamland, is aimed squarely at the middle category. The band have been through various incarnations in the last five years, one of which played a set at the Sweden Rock Festival. They attracted the attention of HammerFall vocalist Joacim Cans, who helped them to refine their sound (and decide on a band name); Cans also acted as the album's co-producer and lent his throat to the backing vocal tracks.
I can't say what Dreamland sounded like before Cans got his hands on them, but his influence on "Future's Calling" seems as large and overpowering as HammerFall bassist Magnus Rosén's hair. Textbook Swedish power metal (in the HammerFall style) is the order of the day here. Not as technical or speed-addicted as some acts, Dreamland indulge in some predominantly mid-paced hard rocking with winning duel guitars (courtesy of Johan Eriksson and Eric Rauti), solid basslines (provided by Mats Rendlert) and Marcus Sköld's drumwork, which never becomes needlessly complicated. Dream Evil are another obvious point of reference, and in fact Dreamland vocalist Joacim Lundberg recently served time with Fredrik Nordström's scary/hilarious (delete as applicable)-looking crew. Lundberg style is similar to Cans' in that neither is your typical power metal screamer - Lundberg prefers to operate in the mid-range, and his voice has a pleasing tone which compliments Dreamland's songs well. The band do not evidence the common power metal aspirations towards the 'epic' (i.e. no choirs or orchestras - synthesised or otherwise - and no ridiculous band member pseudonyms) and although they are hardly caustic sounding they are a bit less syrupy than HammerFall as they tend to steer clear of the happy, tinkly keyboards so beloved of their compatriots.
Unfortunately, Dreamland's songwriting is not quite as sharp as it could be. While their guitar riffs draw blood more often than not, their vocal hooks and melody lines are sometimes lacking. Too often the band resort to repeatedly chanting a song's title in unison ("HEARTS! LIKE LIONS!") instead of writing a proper chorus. "Future's Calling" does nothing to further the power metal genre - the future may well be calling, but Dreamland appear to be sticking their fingers in their ears and going "na-na-na, I can't hear you". Everything from the shapely blonde on the album cover to the song titles (why do power metal groups have such an obsession with 'Breaking The Chains'?) to the 'moody' expressions on display in the band photos is taken directly from the power metal "How To" book. Nevertheless, anyone buying an album by a new Swedish power metal troupe with links to HammerFall is unlikely to be looking for progression and innovation, and genre fans will find little to complain about here.