ETHEREAL
"The Dreams Of Yearning"

Number Of Tracks: 11
Total Running Time: 62:12
Advanced Copy '02

"The Dreams Of Yearning" is a concept album, the second one, from Portuguese Heavy/Doom Metal band Ethereal. This records deals mainly with topics of frustrated natures such as hopelessness, despair, loneliness or other internal emotions driven to drag the self profoundly on a quest for longing answers (I wouldn't be much surprised if part of the lyrics is actually auto-biographical); Fortunately, both the music and the aesthetic side resemble with one another, the lay-out is quite astonishing and the palette of tonalities corresponds gracefully with the music: pale-colours, introspective pictures and deep music.
Most of the songs are tight, well written, and have wild guitar solos as well as thick harmonies. The heavy rhythmic kicks, screechy vocals and melancholic piano passages are really good, the music has a very characteristic tone weeping with grief, wrought with pain and saturated with a truly powerful atmosphere of gloom and melodramatic feeling. There's a nearly perfect cohesion between the bass drum and the tight interlocking riffs and precise keyboard runs. The guitar lines float above the driving bass and the violin, somewhere between Metal distortion and ethereal clarity, always emotive and powerful. The female vocals and violin are sparsely used in a solo context, yet when those instruments shine a little bit more on some parts the all piece gains shape, and surely becomes more vivid and bold. In the light of the classic Heavy Metal arrangements, "The Dreams Of Yearning" isn't all that complex or sophisticated, however it must be noted that what it lacks in innovation aspects it more than makes up for in terms of emotional communication, dynamics, and musical sincerity.
In what concerns production & sound apprehension, it's pretty average and if compared with other Portuguese bands, it definitely stands out as a decent job. Ethereal have managed to surpass many recording difficulties without dropping their own personal sound, and that deserves credit.
A very special highlight must go to Hugo Soares, he's contribution as lyricist & vocalist is tremendously well-balanced & mature, if it wasn't for the feeling he puts on his words and voice, I don't know if this album would be half as interesting and motivating as it is. Hugo definitely pulls the album together and makes Ethereal truly work effectively. Some moments the singing-tone is very similar with Bruce Dickison's tone although the voice is nothing of the same.
My favourite track is "Between Heaven & Earth", a very beautiful song which opens with violin and piano and then grows from acoustic guitars to a full-rounded track; I would really like to see Ethereal experimenting with acoustics a little bit more in the future.
All in all, there are plenty of good song-writing potentials demonstrated throughout the album & Ethereal undoubtedly deserve the attention of any Metal listener looking for a balanced album in what concerns quality and focus.

Abyss Magazine @ Nuno M. [CR]

.:: Ethereal Website: http://etherealwebrealm.tripod.com/