Dream Child was formed when members of Dio, Operation: Mindcrime, Helker and Quiet Riot, discussed listening to bands such as Deep Purple and Rainbow: bands that had informed their musical education. Dream Child's mission statement was to make the kind of music that had influenced them and that ethos clearly underpins the album.
There's a distinct 80s feel to the record, from the intricate bass lines, carefully placed synths through to Alessandro Del Vecchio's production. You Can't Take Me Down epitomizes the album's retro leanings through bold melodies, thunderous percussion and piercing vocals. Playing With Fire allows singer Diego Valdez to show off his abilities, and he's clearly passionate about what hes doing. It would be all too easy to over do the arrangement's on offer here, but Del Vecchio keeps things true to the band's vision with just the right amount of retro nods.
The early part of the album plays safe, but gets more adventurous as the record goes on. The title track twists things into a more sophisticated direction playing with time, experimenting with sounds. It might not be the longest, but it's certainly one of the best. There are some well oiled moments on the album, as you'd expect from the super-group. Although they hark back to the classic rock era, the harder more progressive percussive elements on tracks like Weird World call to mind Dream Theater or Sons of Apollo. Until Death Do We Meet Again manages to straddle to old and the new and is sure to appeal to fans of epic scale rock.
Groupie Rating 3/5
