I
am very confident that more than 90%
of you know Kristoffer Gildenlöw
and his previous band. So it's
time to know about the new band that
he takes part in, Dial. Dial has started
in 2003, long before Kristoffer's
departure from Pain of Salvation,
by Kristoffer, Liselotte Hegt and
Rommert van der Meer. This assembly
is strange by nature and the outcome
is definitely interesting. If you
add Devon Graves (ex-Psychotic Waltz,
Deadsoul Tribe), as producer of "Synchronized"
and guest musician, and Dirk Bruinenberg
(Patrick Rondat, Elegy, Consortium
Project and many more) then their
debut album is by default a very challenging
release.
Dial are standing
at the point where progressive rock
meets the sensitive side of pop music.
This means that the album is not so
rock as you might think or progressive
as you might expected, due to Kristoffer's
background. "Synchronized"
is very melodic and atmospheric, while
it borrows elements from trip-hop,
industrial and new wave. This multifaceted
construction gives to "Synchronized"
numerous of references, from Porcupine
Tree to Gathering and Kate Bush. It
has some very strong moments, like
"Childhood Dreams", "Points
of View" and "Wish It
Away" (with Devon Graves), but
also has some weak moments, like "Candyland"
or "Wounded". The final
result is imbalanced and sometimes
the band seems to be unfair to itself.
I fully understand that bands, like
Dial, are a first chance vehicle for
creativity and expression for musicians
of Kristoffer's calibre, but
sometimes the gathering of such many
different genres doesn't work
so well.
Although I have my
reservations about Kristoffer's
performance at the lead vocals in
a few tracks, he managed to smash
them in songs like "Sadness",
where he shows that the talent is
a family issue. The production could
be better, especially at the guitars,
but the final result is quite good.
In conclusion, "Synchronized"
is an interesting release, though
not so exciting. I think however that
the friends of progressive and atmospheric
rock will appreciate it and will give
it a chance without regretting their
choice.
|
