Join the Rain

If there has been any flaw in the current incarnation of Dreamtale, it is the occasional nod to mainline rock radio that comes with a toned down metallic edge in favor of an all catchy, all the time approach to songwriting. In a nutshell, this is the side of the band that has the most overtly mainstream 80s sound to it, almost like a melding of the formulaic character of early Dokken and Motley Crue with a darker lyrical approach (not much T & A if you catch my drift), a greater emphasis on keyboards than on riffs, and a token lead break section that doesn't quite match the profuse showboating character of most 80s icons like Malmsteen and Lynch, but can get fairly fancy and tends to be the focal point of the song when the vocals are absent.

"Join The Rain" is essentially to the upcoming "World Changed Forever" LP as "Take What The Heavens Create" was to "Phoenix" 5 years ago, though a bit longer and with a somewhat heavier character. There isn't really much to this song apart from the typical verse/chorus approach, and the riffs are generally repetitive rhythmic chord hits while the keyboards handle most of the intricate material. The vocal work is high end and fancy, though also extremely symmetrical in terms of melody, almost to the point of being sing-along fanfare from start to finish. It's possessed of a slight techno feel that is definitely informed by Nightwish's work on "Once", and at times it almost sounds like the keyboards were lifted from a rave song. It's definitely a fun song, but it does kind of wear thin after a while.

Dreamtale are a band that don't really do much in the way of risk taking, so it's been more the exception than the rule that they churn out anything that resembles the epic length songwriting of Iron Maiden, but this is among their most formulaic endeavors yet. There isn't really much in the way of intricacy that separates this from the average radio pop tune, though it isn't quite light and keyboard heavy enough to pass for Kelly Clarkson. It's a likeable song for those who aren't looking for extreme speed or aggression, but it definitely is not quite up the alley of someone looking for hard-hitting heavy metal after the mold of Accept or Grave Digger.