It’s time to act, time to react with these 12 songs from the 12th album of Diary of Dreams! Everyone is fighting for themselves and for their own interests only, with nobody looking at the greater scheme of things. Just as always. This is precisely the main focus of Grau im Licht, just as the media with its manipulation, dominated by national issues. Honestly: I have the same feeling, that and blaming other for known failures of deeper misery! I’m more than happy with the red line and the message!
Sinferno opens with a bombastic sound, almost like I’m used to hear from Blutengel. Sound wise this opening track has changed a bit from the usual sound and I like it as it gets an extra dimension. Endless Nights sounds as like a rework of Stimulation from Bird Without Wings or Babylon from One of 18 Angels. Yet it’s catchy tune with a nice chorus arranged in the most typical way that you find back in almost every Diary Of Dreams track over the years. I think lots of fans will adore this one. Next one is Ikarus is a typical DOD ballad, slowly building up a path, filled with pathos.
No piano ballad, but one with lots of instruments and enough breaks to keep the tempo low enough and give it a dramatic feel. It has a charismatic and nostalgic reel. The end comes a bit too fast. Krank has even a slice of a metal guitar minded riff, the rest is German pathos with the typical melancholic feel. Don’t kill yourself after this one, wait at least until you finished the CD. Die my phobia is one of my favorite ones, because of the lyrics and the catchy sound. Let yourself go and dive into the darkness and try to find the light at the end of the dark tunnel! Adrian’s vocals and the synth lift it to a higher level.
Grau im Licht starts like a dark ballad, a typical one for DOD, but slowly gets more beats. Still the darkness surrounds us and doesn’t make us happier. You can say for sure that this the most effective tour de force coming from DOD. SinnFlut starts with a harp (or at least I think it’s a harp), before guitars tear the peace to pieces. The lyrics are once again very dark, appealing to what is happening right now all over Europe and If you see it from a bigger range: all over the world. The darkness even sounds catchy, but don’t let yourself be trapped in it. HomeSick sounds very catchy, but don’t forget to listen to the lyrics. Same goes for the next track Schuldig! The Hunted sounds as if talking about the immigrants trying to escape from war our other bad things making them flee. The story sounds more important than the beats or the chance to be played during a party. MitGift is a soft but very bitter track whilst the last one Schwarz lasts 9:33 and only has 3 words (Weiss, Grau and Schwarz) and softly weeps us toward the end of this concept album.
I must say that over the years the concept has become more important than tracks that might reach a bigger audience. Adrien Hates does what he want and makes no compromises, but maybe it’s also time to step into the next dimension or time warp and try out new sounds, new influences as I fear that fans might go in decline … Fact is that some fans want at least one great ballad whilst others want something for the dancefloor, well: I’m not sure if both parties really got what they expected. The first part of the album is the best, towards the end I almost had to struggle to finish it without skipping …
1 – Sinferno (5:48)
2 – Endless nights (4:34)
3 – Ikarus (5:57)
4 – Krank (5:55)
5 – Die my phobia (4:45)
6 – Grau im Licht (5:25)
7 – SinnFlut (5:22)
8 – HomeSick (4:44)
9 – Schuldig! (5:33)
10 – the Hunted (3:45)
11 – mitGift (05:08)
12 – Schwarz (9:33)
