By: AvNatten

Posted: Dec 4, 2006

Dream Evil are back once again and offering their fans another platter of catchy heavy metal to satisfy their appetites. The band may be well known for adding a fare share of cheese to their compositions and "United" is no different but this time around the songs sound as if they are more thought out and have become the most original sounding recordings the band has done thus far.  This being their fourth studio album to date and the first since the departure of the legendary Snowy Shaw and guitar genius Gus G., fans were more than a little worried about the outcome of this disc.
 
Also during the time leading up to the recording of "United" vocalist Niklas Isfeldt had to undergo surgery on his throat which prohibited him from singing for a 6 month period until the healing process of his throat was complete. Understandably this pushed back the production of the disc and kept fans in anticipation of whether or not Niklas could hold the vocal notes as high as he has in the past. Those doubts and worries can definitely be put to rest because Isfeldt delivers the lyrics with emotion, vibrato, and the power that every good heavy metal vocalist that sings abut the glory of metal should have!

Once again the band returned to the famed Studio Fredman with Fredrik Nordström at the producing helm of course and as you can guess the production is top notch. While looking for a replacement to fill the drum throne the band found their man right under their noses. Patrik Jerksten, who goes by the name of Pat Power while living out his metal dreams in Dream Evil was working as a sound engineer at Studio Fredman when the offer to join the band arose.

Dream Evil has become known for being able to write catchy hooks and choruses that grab onto you and won't let go. Niklas' voice brings life to the choruses thoroughly proving that there is no weakness or half-heartedness in his vocal delivery.

The tracks on "United" are once again memorable and are inspired by the glory days of 80ties metal which can be heard in the soaring vocals and  galloping instruments. The anthem like 'Fire!Battle!In Metal!' will get your blood pumping and having you singing along to its chorus. 'Blind Evil' is extremely catchy and you may find yourself humming along to the melody well after you have finished listening to the album. Even the weaker songs on this disc are not horrible. 'My Number One' is the track that may be a surprise for many listeners. The song was originally performed by Greek songstress Elena Papaizou in the 2005 European Song Contest. Snowy Shaw and Gus G. come back as guests to add their share of metal to the track. Although the lyrics are very poppy and sound very campy when sung over heavy metal instruments it does somewhat work for the band and you can tell that the track was done for the sake of fun.

Dream Evil may not be a band for everyone due to their campy ethics and tongue-in-cheek style but those chosen few that are devout followers of the band will adore "United" and applaud the band for the growth they have made since their last album. One can only hope that the band continues to progress as the years go by. One thing is for sure though and that is that Dream Evil LIVES for the metal and DIES for the metal!

Rating: 8/10

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