DREAM CHILD
"Reaching
the Golden Gates" (Metal Blade/NSR Productions; 1999)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
The other day I thought to myself that I could not think of a single French band that played metal that had world-wide popularity. Lo and behold, while looking through the discount bin in the local used CD store soon thereafter, I found Dream Child's "Reaching The Golden Gates" and it dawned on me that this band was from France.
Dream Child's competent blend of melodic power metal and neo-prog leanings is nice mix even if it lacks the aggression that I enjoy. The songs on "Reaching The Golden Gates" tend to blend into one another although the variation from track to track is good enough to avoid being a completely useless listen. The band's progressive elements shine through in their willingness to write long songs that explore the ins and outs of each song's nuances.
Although I won't be listening to "Reaching The Golden Gates" frequently, I wouldn't hesitate to put Dream Child into a rotation of CDs including Helloween, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Archetype, and Tad Morose.
"Reaching The Golden Gates" was produced by Laurent Nafissi.
Dream Child is Gerard Fois on vocals, Dominique Leurquin on guitars, Sylvain Cochet on bass, and Alain Blanc on drums.
For more information visit http://dreamchild.ifrance.com/dreamchild/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2002 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 04 Mar 2024 13:27:27 -0500.
