Domain of Dreams

Bulgarian progressive metal act Domain of Dreams, formed as Solaris in 1987, independently released their self-titled debut album in 2011. Solaris released two album, one in 1997 and the other in 2007. Rather than continuing the ten year trend between albums, they switched names and decided to carry on under a new moniker. Being that Solaris formed in 1987, the members are no strangers to the progressive metal scene.

Initially, Domain of Dreams comes across as a second rate Queensryche, albeit slightly heavier at times. “Domain of Dreams” shows a more melodic approach to progressive metal than many contemporaries. Being that a lot of tracks are longer (most are over or around the seven minute mark) the band toys with going from melodic progressive, bordering on an arena rock style a la Queen, into a more straightforward progressive metal fest, replete with soaring keyboards and Ricky Bobby-like speed.

The guitars range from a standard progressive rock approach, including acoustic pieces and sections that sound straight out of 1980's hard rock, to an really chunky, progressive power style, a kin to Carl August Tidemann (Winds, Tritonus). The progressive power sections are rather infrequent though, with the majority of the release staying within the hard rock confines. The solos are excellent but don't fall into the trap of being too showy or shred oriented: fast picked scales mixed with sweep picking and palm muting dominate a lot of the solos. The focus here is on composition and not on showy musicianship, even though the guitarist has the chops to do so. Some of the solos sound like they are straight from Eric Johnson and others maintain the progressive tendencies of John Petrucci and the like.

The keyboards are heavily influenced by AOR acts and arena rockers like Queen and, gasp, Meatloaf. For the most part subtle keyboard lines float behind the guitar lines and add some orchestral flair, but there are more riveting piano based sections that add more of that AOR feeling to the music. The drums and bass constitute a decent rhythm section for Domain of Dreams. The drums, although fairly standard, keep a relatively fast beat when the music is fast and switch to a more laid back style a la Ark when the music slows down. There are some cool bass fills and walks, but it's not to the level of Flea or Steve DiGiorgio.

Vocally, Domain of Dreams is severely lacking. The standard delivery is mid-range and not unlike a cross between Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One) and Tobias Sammet (Edguy), except the delivery of the higher ranges borders on causing irreparable eardrum damage. The higher ranged vocals sound very forced, extremely off-key at times, and very amateur, especially when the background vocals and choral sections get thrown in. The band would be much better suited if the vocalist would remain at the mid-range and never venture onto higher ground. The mid-range vocals really grew on me throughout the release, but the highs just sound out of place during the entire ride.

The band has just about all the right elements but ultimately the flashes of utter brilliance, and straight up progressive metal, occur too infrequently. The solo sections on “The Dream of Power” and “The Dream of Unity” show them as one of the tightest bands I've ever heard, with the guitars, drums and keys blasting away with crazy Carl August Tidemann styled riffing. After each fast sections, the music goes right back into a Queen styled arena rock style and pretty much stays there, until another one of the awesome solos with its driving accoutrements returns. With some work, this band could take the progressive world by storm. Weak vocals and too many slow sections that drag on for far too long keep this from being stellar. Progressive metal fans, keep Domain of Dreams in your radar, because they could be the next big thing.