Dreamshade – A Pale Blue Dot
Release Date: 5th March 2021
Label: Self-Released
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Metalcore, Alternative Metal.
FFO: Linkin Park, In Flames, Trivium, Architects, Starset, Dead By April.
Review By: Ryan Shearer
Dreamshade are a fun band – That’s something you can absolutely take away from A Pale Blue Dot. The Swiss band have chosen album art that aligns with the albums theme; named after Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’, it focuses on the human condition as we hurtle through space on this planet we call our own. Itwas recorded during the global lockdown and singles have been released over quite a long window – Question Everything was released in 2019! The time taken to commit to their first album without a record label backing them has paid off – A Pale Blue Dot is great and absolutely begging to be played to huge crowds.
Safe Harbour starts with a moody melodic motif, built upon with soaring vocals and big power chords. The song is around feeling safe when listening to your favourite song, an almost meta introduction to an album that wants to act as your new place to call home. Lightbringers is where the In Flames sound really comes to the forefront. It sounds like it would fit comfortably on their 2019 album I, The Mask, with blast beats and Swedish-styled metal riffs as well as similar vocal tones. It is a catchy track, with an incredibly catchy chorus hook and slick lead guitar work. The drums aren’t overly complex, but work excellently to maintain and drive the anthemic energy.
Question Everything is an emotionally resonant metalcore insta-classic. With a silky smooth solo before the final key-changed chorus, it treads the line between pop hooks and heaviness skilfully. Mixed and mastered by Danish Grammy nominated producer Jacob Hansen who has worked with Amaranthe (Another band that mush together pop and metal really well), the production values work to its strength. At times when there are huge choruses, the whole sound opens up, designed to fill stadiums. When the heaviness hits like towards the end of Step Back, the focus tightens and allows the aggression to feel pinpointed & direct. The heavier aspects don’t land as well as some other bands might’ve managed, (Architects & early Linkin Park for example, who Dreamshade are for fans of) but it doesn’t fall flat – it’s just not as hard-hitting.
Shanghai Nights acts as the introduction to the second half of the album which experiments a little with the formula you’ve previously heard. The drum solo towards the end introduces Elephant, the weirdest and most vibe-twisting track on the album. A Place Called Home feels like a slight misstep; the rapped verses feel out of place but the chorus and the outro swathed in delay are hugely redeeming. Save This, the album closer, includes a gang scream provided by their fans, spanning over 70 countries. It is a great example of metalcore aggression blending with pop – it has strong Dead By April stylings, and they’re the masters of the pop metal combination.
The album is 14 tracks long but feels half that. Each listen goes by in the blink of an eye; there are stronger sections than others, but when the energy begins to lull, you’re never a minute away from a huge chorus or fat riff. With this many tracks, there’s always a risk of bloat or filler, which Dreamshade have managed to avoid relatively well. Each track has some element to stay for, something hiding behind the skip button asking you to wait just another minute before moving on.
The line “Are we alone in the Universe, a simple thought in beyond our minds” from Impulse is a good summary of the tone of A Pale Blue Dot. The electronics add a sense of unearthliness and vast, all-consuming soundscapes which fill the background. toD-eulB-elaP-(A), the instrumental break, feels very much like something Starset would do as a gig interlude. The track makes you feel like you’re a tiny part of something beyond human comprehension, but Dreamshade are right there with you.
There is a lot to love in A Pale Blue Dot. It quickly works to demand your attention, and continually works to keep it. You can hear their influences as clear as day, but Dreamshade have added their own mark and shown themselves to stand tall amongst leaders in this genre.
(4.5 / 5)
