Dream On Dreamer // It Comes And Goes [Album Review]

Michael Dixon
Jun 21, 2018
3 min read

Band: DREAM ON DREAMER

Release: It Comes and Goes (Album)

Area: Melbourne, Australia.

Date of release: 25/05/18

Genre: Alternative Melodic Metalcore

Record Label: A Northern Soul

Produced, Mixed & Mastered: Will Putney & Callan Orr.

For Fans Of: Tonight Alive, Awaken I Am. Northlane.

Next Gig: IT COMES AND GOES TOUR May-June 2018

“Hope god, can you figure it out. I swallowed the ocean but it won’t stay down. Sinking in the sea of my doubts. There’s blood in the water, it won’t be long now. You’ve got your hands around my heart again. Focus, repair. Tell those voices in your head. We’re living, we’re not dead. So let’s sit here alone and wait for this storm to end.” - Voices

“It Comes and Goes” is the 4th studio album from this Melbourne-based Alternative Metalcore band. It shows a massive departure from their earlier Post-Hardcore work "Heartbound and Loveless" and to a certain extent their previous album, "Songs of Soulitude". It’s been 3 years since that aforementioned album was released and so there was a huge level of uncertainty regarding whether they’re recording any new material for an album. Rest assured, It "Comes and Goes" is far superior compared to "Songs of Soulitude" in every possible way. It is more focused, more consistent and has a clearer musical direction.

The biggest change on this new album is lead vocalist Marcel Gadacz’s decision to mainly do clean vocals. It was such a huge risk considering he’s been doing harsh screams since day one and could potentially split the fan base. But thankfully he pulls it off tremendously. You can hear how subtle and nuanced his vocal delivery is from powerfully sung choruses to soft whispers. And there is enough distinction between his style and that of bassist/vocalist Zachary Britt to warrant a second clean vocalist.

That’s not to say that there’s no screams on this record whatsoever. It’s more used sparingly on tracks such as 'Stay' and 'Don’t Lose Your Heart'. Speaking of Zac, his contribution to this band and his vocal delivery has improved dramatically since his debut for Loveless and it’s good to see him becoming more of a leader rather than simply singing the choruses. There also seems to be a greater emotional depth in both of their vocal deliveries which is awesome to see.

Musically, there has also been a significant shift in musically direction. It’s clear that Dreamer are trying hard to shred their Post-Hardcore sound and adopt a more melodic, technical and structured sound. There is still plenty of fast-paced guitar riffs, explosive electronic rhythms, minimalist beats and pounding drums but everything feels more layered and less heavy. It’s safe to say that Dream on Dreamer are no longer a “heavy” band as such. You can liken their evolution to what Linkin Park did over their career, becoming more refined with their songwriting and continuing to experiment and grow with each release.

Lyrically, the songs here aren’t radically different to the previous material though it’s clear that they have improved and matured over the past 3 years or so. They tackle subjects such as mental health issues (Voices, Don’t Lose Your Heart), toxic relationships (Let It In, Drag Me Down), romantic relationships (Stay, Runaway) and complex human emotions (Same Old War, Shine, Paper Thin). It’s encouraging to see that Dreamer continue to raise awareness around speaking up if you’re feeling depressed and standing up for what you believe in. There is so much positivity and inspiration to be found in their lyrics and this album is no exception.

Overall, “It Comes And Goes” is a very strong release from Dream on Dreamer. They sound reinvigorated like they’ve found a new energy and not simply going through the motions or experimenting too much to the point of incoherence. All ten of these tracks are solid even though two of the songs, 'Stay' and 'Don’t Lose Your Heart', were released 2-3 years ago. This can be forgiven because the tracks actually fit the record and aren’t simply leftovers.