Review: Dreamslain – Forge of Rebellion

Style: Progressive Metal, Folk Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ensiferum, Amorphis, RuneScape music
Review by: Dave
Country: Norway
Release date: 14 June 2024

Quite often, we discuss among ourselves at the Subway our favorite album covers of the year. One subject that arises commonly over album art is that of tasteful ideas vs. tasteful execution: one without the other can result in an ultimately unfinished product. Whether it be a good idea that isn’t done well or a bad idea that’s done expertly, both create offensive end results in their own way. And this is not a problem solely relegated to album art, as albums themselves can just as easily collapse under the weight of their own poor decisions. Norway’s Dreamslain offers us an opportunity to study this phenomenon through example, as their latest release, Forge of Rebellion, is an excellent showcase of some good ideas that are done exceedingly poorly. Let’s discuss.

It’s hard to listen to Dreamslain and not think of Arcturus, as the two bands have a very similar instrumental approach: like The Sham Mirrors before it, Forge of Rebellion centers itself on drums and keyboards. Guitars and bass are certainly present, but they step out of their role as textural tools a handful of times across the entirety of the album, leaving the keyboards and pianos to excel and compensate for the limited riff showcase. Additionally, both Forge of Rebellion and The Sham Mirrors have bad vocals: The Sham Mirrors executes its bizarre, yodel-y, and occasionally unpolished vocal delivery in an overwhelmingly charming manner, coming across as fittingly alien given its space motifs, but in the case of Forge of Rebellion, it doesn’t work at all, featuring very few moments where the vocals coalesce into something listenable.

I appreciate that Igor Jakobsen is going for an epic and dramatic delivery somewhere in between Arcturus’s Garm and Jari Mäenpää (Ensiferum, Wintersun) on tracks like “Burn the Boats” and “Braving the Storm,” but more often than not the vocals come across as nails on a chalkboard. One of the worst offenders is “Ghost Story,” which manages a competent harsh vocal performance, but the clean-sung verses pair one of the most unpleasant vocal melodies on the entire album with a grating execution. It’s a real shame, too, as I appreciate Forge of Rebellion’s lyricism, coming from a place of empathy for those who experience tragedy at the hands of tyrannical hegemonies, such as the myriad marginalized groups affected by the Holocaust on “Ghost Story” or the moving and impassioned plea for help to refugees on “Braving the Storm,” but it is difficult to fully engage with these themes due to the nature of the vocal delivery.

The vocals are not the end of Forge of Rebellion’s issues, as they are unpleasant on their own but also fall victim to overarching missteps in the production, a problem which touches virtually all of the instrumentation: decent ideas have to actively work against sounds that at first grate my sensibilities and have me pulling my mohawk out by “The Dragon of Ice.” I don’t like to harp too much on bad production, especially for underground bands and even more so when a lo-fi production is an intentional artistic choice, but this was produced by a professional. Perhaps the onus lies on not-so-tasteful tones chosen during recording, or maybe they were simply done dirty by their producer, but whatever the cause, the end result wholly sabotages Dreamslain’s ideas: mastering issues emerge from Forge of Rebellion’s very beginning, opening “Secrets of the Forge” with a muddy guitar whose presence is made obvious throughout the record despite its role as a textural tool thanks to its unbecoming and grainy tone. The keyboards lead a considerable number of ideas, but similarly to the guitars, the timbre of the keyboards can be particularly piercing in their higher register, particularly on “Secrets of the Forge” and “The Dragon of Ice,” and even though a variety of keyboard sounds are used across Forge of Rebellion to differing degrees of success, beginning the record with the worst keyboard tone sets a terrible precedent for the listener.

I know I have come across fairly harsh so far, and fittingly so, as only so many poorly executed elements can exist in a single piece before the underlying ideas are effectively ruined, but do not take my review as a full condemnation of Forge of Rebellion, as underneath its irrefutable shortcomings one can find surprisingly engaging compositional structures. “Ghost Story”’s juxtaposition of piano against both calmer and more intense sections is executed to great effect, and Dreamslain’s songwriting approaches the style of later Amorphis on “Secrets of the Forge” and “Braving the Storm,” flowing marvelously from idea to idea and leaving lots of room to explore the more acoustically pleasant Hammond organ sounds, making me think of the extended jams on Amorphis’s “As Mountains Crumble” and “We Accursed,” respectively. My favorite facet of Forge of Rebellion, though, is the MIDI-esque harpsichord peppered throughout each track, conjuring the RuneScape-music feel of Moonsorrow’s Kivenkantaja in a manner that is undeniably charming: while the first instance of “Secrets of the Forge”’s keyboards are grating, the synthesizers that follow give me hope that there is something to love here. And love them I do, as it is likely the only instrument besides maybe the drums that isn’t actively tarnished by the production and could actually find benefit in Forge of Rebellion’s sound design.

A bevy of poor execution choices leads to a frustrating listening experience that dims the light shone by Forge of Rebellion’s positive facets and interesting ideas. It’s truly disappointing, because I have quite the affinity for Dreamslain’s songwriting approach; I greatly appreciate the empathetic point of view that centers Forge of Rebellion; and the RuneScape synths are undeniably charming, but my love for these elements simply cannot be reconciled with the tepid guitar tone, ear-shattering mixing, and unforgivable clean vocal performance. Were Igor to take some time to perfect his vocal approach and were the band to more appropriately craft and produce their sonic palette, I would have a much more glowing review to share, but as it stands, I simply cannot endorse Forge of Rebellion. However, I will gladly hold out hope that the future is bright for Dreamslain, given they approach their ideas in a more tasteful manner next time.

Recommended tracks: Ghost Story, Braving the Storm
You may also like: Arcturus, Wandering Oak, Eldamar, Thrawsunblat
Final verdict: 3.5/10

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Label: Independent release

Dreamslain is:
– Igor Jakobsen (guitars, vocals, bass)
– Anna Loppacher (piano, organ, cembalo)
– Daniel Paulsen Figenschou (drums)