Human Device

The name compelled me to acquire this album. I knew nothing of the band beforehand, so I was absolutely impervious to any preconceptions. And, despite a slightly doubtful first impression, I'd say this album has successfully pushed Dreamaker up to a high ranking by my standards.

The first thing which I associate this album with is the kickass introductions. Every track has a unique and different intro, each one well played, effective and captivating. Such tracks as Alone Again have synthy noises against a drum beat, whereas some are played with hard hitting guitar, and some a nice mixture.

Now, getting past the introductions, the next most memorable thing about this album is the lead singer's voice. Elisa has a slightly coarse, maybe describable as thick voice, which at times sounds a little masculine. At first, this took me a little while to get used to, but as you adapt to it, it melds right into the music and gains a unique harmonicness of its own right. Sure, she's no Tarja, but she's got quite some talent.

The music - the guitar the most outstanding - is relatively well played. However, it's also in some ways the weakness of this album. At times, the guitar in one track sounds somewhat... "sameish" in comparison to some of the more varied and plentiful other aspects to the album. I can appreciate the talent, but from time to time - only between one or two of the songs - I've found myself having difficulty distinguishing from one guitar solo and another.

Now, although one of two of the tracks are similar, there is still an abundant variety in this album, and it manages to give itself a broad distinction from some of the more mainstream or better-known bands.

81% from me. A much appreciated addition to my collection, and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for more by this band.