Dreamers Crime // No Compromises [Album Review]

Kalten Norris
Nov 16, 2017
3 min read

Band: Dreamers Crime Release: No Compromises Area: Sydney, NSW Date of release: November 17th, 2017 Genre: Metal/ Alternative/ Heavy Rock Reviewer: Kalten Norris Record Label: Unsigned For Fans Of: Periphery, Twelve Foot Ninja, Letlive Alright guys, time for round two. Dreamers Crime was handed to me by the boss and so I sat down, had a chat to the vocalist Peter Repousis and had a listen to their new album "No Compromises" which drops on the 17th November 2017. Read further to see what tidbits we talked about and what I thought of the album.

GET THE ALBUM HERE!!!

I decided to first take a trip down YouTube lane and check out music videos released by the band. The first track 'Interstellar Nights' hits a few great notes straight away with their atmospheric filtered vocal/lead guitar intro, followed by Peter Repousis' vocals setting the scene for the rest of the track. In terms of metal tracks this has a fairly traditional songwriting structure which helps present it in a format people can easily consume, and the clear, thick and punchy metal tonality shines through in the mix without being overbearing. One thing I do like about this song is the bridge section sits between a more traditional bridge/breakdown section and the more modern connotation that is associated with metal. It's simple and leads perfectly into the ending section of the track. I came across their track 'I Believe In You' and felt drawn to it instantly. I actually reckon this track would stay with people for longer, I feel that almost every aspect of the track is stronger and with a more clear direction than other tracks on the release, delivering loads of drive while still having a chorus that will hook you straight away. I also felt really strongly about the chorus in 'Lost Connection' which I think is one of the best off this record - the pacing, space and dynamics are spot on and the vocals nailed the flow, adding a ton of value to that song, which could be a tad forgettable without it.

Speaking more about the vocals, Peter reminds me a bit of Jason Butler from Letlive, both in tonality and some of the vocal lines he sings hark back to that kind of harmonised, pop-punk vocal deployment. If you're into that kind of thing you're likely to experience a certain deja vu - not a bad thing by any means, just an observation.

When asked about his musical influences, Peter revealed he draws a lot of influences not only from personal experience, but also draws from concepts such as rising above adversity and staying strong in the face of hardship. "Being a teacher, my philosophy is that you have the responsibility to assist a student up when they fall" he went on to explain, "a lot of the stories and messages are about self belief, going against the grain, the questions of the times we live in and the pressures that come with that".

As I listened through the album I got a pretty strong sense of what DC are going for. While there is a large songwriting and dynamic scope to the band for example. the difference between the verse section in 'Here We Are' and a track like 'Lost Connection', it becomes apparent that the band favours the heavier side of things and eschews an exploration of those softer, cleaner sections in more detail until much later in the album. Wrapping up, this is a solid album from a band that is currently unsigned, finding your feet in the world of local music is hard. There's a lot of competition when it comes to this sub-genre of metal, something Periphery, Letlive and others dominate year after year and similarly is something a lot of emerging bands want to emulate, with varying degrees of success. If there were one suggestion I would make, it would be to try and experiment a bit more with those quieter parts and see if there's more room for them within the bands sound. To me there's still a lot of room for experimentation while still keeping that metal/alternative core sound intact.

Vocals: 8/10

Guitars: 8/10

Bass: 9/10

Drums: 8/10

Lyrics: 8/10

Songwriting: 7/10

Mixing: 9/10

Replayability: 7.5/10

Songwriting Integrity: 8/10

Complexity 8:/10

Overall: 80.5/100

Personal Enjoyment: 7.5/10