Jacob's Dream
Jacob's
Dream
Jacob's Dream (Metal Blade) 2000
1. "Kinescope" (3:34)
2. "Funambulism" (4:33)
3. "Scape Goat" (5:06)
4. "Mad House of Cain" (3:01)
5. "Take of Fears" (4:29)
6. "Crusade" (4:10)
7. "Black Watch"-instrumental (3:55)
8. "Love & Sorrow" (4:15)
9. "The Gathering" (3:24)
10. "Never Surrender" (4:13)
11. "The Bleeding Tree" (3:49)
12. "Violent Truth" (3:18)
Jacob's Dream are heavy metal with a real 80's vibe--sort of a mix of progressive metal and power metal. Their lead vocalist sounds like a cross between Geddy Lee and Bruce Dickinson. Great stuff with refreshingly thoughful lyrics. This band also has a self titled indie cd out with different songs and a different cover.
Jacob's Dream-Theater of War (Metal Blade) 2001
1. "Sanctuary" (4:45)
2. "Theater of War" (4:46)
3. "Traces of Grace" (5:25)
4. "Wisdom" (5:34)
5. "The Warning" (4:21)
6. "Sarah Williams" (7:07)
7. "De Machina Est Deo" (3:42)
8. "Black Souls" (3:50)
9. "Critical Mass" (5:25)
Disc number two (or three if you count their cd demo) continues in a similar mode to their Metal Blade debut but is superior in the songwriting department. Despite the fact that I really liked that self titled disc when it came out, I quickly lost interest due to the fact that the songs were all very similar, didn't contain enough hooks, and the vocals became distracting after a few listens. This has all been remedied on "Theater of War." Jacob's Dream certainly are not breaking down walls with a pioneering new style, but this isn't the point is it. Rather what the band is doing is trying to create quality power metal, and this they do better than most who attempt this today. Vocalist David Taylor brings a sound that has not been used much since the 80's. His high falsetto voice is strong and adds character to the music, rather than being a total distraction. Once again, I am not sure I could have said this about their debut. Perhaps I need to listen to that one again. The lyrics seem to speak quite strongly of a Christian faith but not in a preachy or condemning tone. Overall, another strong disc that will hopefully open new doors for this band. Picked this one up in a trade on the Perpetual Motion Trade Board.