 Photo by Jerome Joyce 2018 / Edited by Northern Luna |
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"The Weight of My Sea" song review written by Ingrid Newton
It is because of Canadian local bands like Haven Dream, featuring talent by Nathan Gross, Alina Gavrilenko, Lucas McArthur, and Sam Astaroth, that I have been drawn to the sub genre mymphonic/cinematic metal. This review covers the single “The Weight Of My Sea”, released via YouTube video in September 2018.
True to form, this song begins with atmospheric keyboards and choir-like voice accompaniments, which then brings in heavy drum blasts (albeit a drum machine) in double time. Within a minute of listening to this song, the listener is brought to the true tempo of the song that mixes in a background voice whispering to our ears, and Alina Gavrilenko's voice carries along like that of a siren singing from a far off distance that cannot be truly traced to any particular place; it is as if her voice is floating through the fog and haze of the sea.I am truly captivated and intrigued to continue listening to her hauntingly seductive intonations. Then we hear her voice much more clearly, as if she stepped out of the sea vapour to stand right next to me. I am captivated by her alluring stirrings of sordid tales.
We all bear the burden of our own story, our own emotional selves, and this song represents that burden. It can feel as heavy as trying to trudge through water, which we all know is not an easy task; it weighs us down and creates resistance. There are many of us who know the feeling of being weighed down by the burden of carrying emotions and life challenges. This song shares how one does experience the overbearing burden of carrying ourselves and carrying the burden of others on our shoulders. It is with great strength and fortitude that we are able to achieve victory and peace to survive the daily life challenges and setbacks.
Finally, I am impressed with the overall production and mixing qualities of this single. I cannot find any holes in this recording and I truly enjoyed “The Weight Of My Sea” from the beginning to the final keyboard ending. Clean, clear, invoking, heartfelt. Thanks to Haven Dream for your musicianship and devotion to this genre.
True to form, this song begins with atmospheric keyboards and choir-like voice accompaniments, which then brings in heavy drum blasts (albeit a drum machine) in double time. Within a minute of listening to this song, the listener is brought to the true tempo of the song that mixes in a background voice whispering to our ears, and Alina Gavrilenko's voice carries along like that of a siren singing from a far off distance that cannot be truly traced to any particular place; it is as if her voice is floating through the fog and haze of the sea.I am truly captivated and intrigued to continue listening to her hauntingly seductive intonations. Then we hear her voice much more clearly, as if she stepped out of the sea vapour to stand right next to me. I am captivated by her alluring stirrings of sordid tales.
We all bear the burden of our own story, our own emotional selves, and this song represents that burden. It can feel as heavy as trying to trudge through water, which we all know is not an easy task; it weighs us down and creates resistance. There are many of us who know the feeling of being weighed down by the burden of carrying emotions and life challenges. This song shares how one does experience the overbearing burden of carrying ourselves and carrying the burden of others on our shoulders. It is with great strength and fortitude that we are able to achieve victory and peace to survive the daily life challenges and setbacks.
Finally, I am impressed with the overall production and mixing qualities of this single. I cannot find any holes in this recording and I truly enjoyed “The Weight Of My Sea” from the beginning to the final keyboard ending. Clean, clear, invoking, heartfelt. Thanks to Haven Dream for your musicianship and devotion to this genre.
"My Schizophrenia" song review written by Alex Stojanovic
London, Ontario outfit Haven Dream is a new project that formed in 2017. The project was founded by Nathan Gross (Age Of Athena, Blood Of Indigo), and it also features the talents of Alina Gavrilenko (Snowmaiden, DiAmorte), guest guitars by Lucas McArthur (Solarus, Snowmaiden) and guest harsh vocals by our good friend Sam Astaroth (Astaroth Incarnate). The project is categorized as cinematic symphonic metal. They are currently in the final stages of recording their debut album Internal, but to give fans a taste of what we can expect, they have premiered two singles so far, and they have asked us to review the songs, and of course, we said we would. Two of us on the team reviewed the two individual songs. Our very own Ingrid Newton reviewed the track "The Weight Of My Sea", and I took on the duty of reviewing the second single "My Schizophrenia".
Now, before we get into the song, let's just get a quick criticism out of the way. My criticism about the track is the fact that the drums were programmed. I know that they're programmed because there isn't a name for a drummer in the band's bio. As I've said many times, I prefer all recordings to be kept as real as possible. Which means no auto-tune, no pitch correction, no programmed instruments, none of that. Whenever I find out that something is programmed on a recording, I don't get a comfortable feeling. Yes, I know that programming is a skill in itself, but my point is that when an instrument has been programmed, or a vocal has been put through auto-tone or pitch correction, then the authenticity is out the window, and I never like it when there isn't any authenticity on a recording. I guess that's mainly the musician in me talking, but even if I wasn't a musician, I would still be saying that. By the way, I'm in no way trying to sound like a snob when I say that. I'm just being honest and saying what I really think and how I really feel in the nicest possible way. Simply put, when it comes to performance, I just want recordings to be kept pure. Same thing applies for live performance. I could go into a whole rant about my dislike for programmed instruments, auto-tuned vocals, trickery and what not, but let's not make this about that. However, this criticism about the track needed to be addressed.
Now, just because I don't like that the drums are programmed, doesn't mean the song itself isn't good. Right off the bat, as the song starts, we are greeted by both soaring vocals and soaring keyboards, before exploding into a fast-paced, uplifting keyboard melody with double-kick underneath. Now, in comes Alina Gavrilenko with some astonishing vocals, where she hits some incredible high notes that mesmerized me. The orchestral elements give the track that cinematic feel, and would fit as a soundtrack to an epic battle scene. Later on, Sam comes in with some beastly vocals, giving this section of the song a bit of a black metal feel. According to the band, the lyrics tackle the "struggles of schizophrenia and constantly hearing voices, being stuck inside your own mind, and detached from reality because of it." A very powerful subject. The band said that the goal with Internal is to promote the "awareness of mental illness and the exploration of dark thought processes and personal struggle." That's amazing because those are very important topics that constantly need addressing. We thank Haven Dream for reaching out to us to give reviews of their two singles, and we look forward to hearing what else the band have to offer on Internal when released.
Now, before we get into the song, let's just get a quick criticism out of the way. My criticism about the track is the fact that the drums were programmed. I know that they're programmed because there isn't a name for a drummer in the band's bio. As I've said many times, I prefer all recordings to be kept as real as possible. Which means no auto-tune, no pitch correction, no programmed instruments, none of that. Whenever I find out that something is programmed on a recording, I don't get a comfortable feeling. Yes, I know that programming is a skill in itself, but my point is that when an instrument has been programmed, or a vocal has been put through auto-tone or pitch correction, then the authenticity is out the window, and I never like it when there isn't any authenticity on a recording. I guess that's mainly the musician in me talking, but even if I wasn't a musician, I would still be saying that. By the way, I'm in no way trying to sound like a snob when I say that. I'm just being honest and saying what I really think and how I really feel in the nicest possible way. Simply put, when it comes to performance, I just want recordings to be kept pure. Same thing applies for live performance. I could go into a whole rant about my dislike for programmed instruments, auto-tuned vocals, trickery and what not, but let's not make this about that. However, this criticism about the track needed to be addressed.
Now, just because I don't like that the drums are programmed, doesn't mean the song itself isn't good. Right off the bat, as the song starts, we are greeted by both soaring vocals and soaring keyboards, before exploding into a fast-paced, uplifting keyboard melody with double-kick underneath. Now, in comes Alina Gavrilenko with some astonishing vocals, where she hits some incredible high notes that mesmerized me. The orchestral elements give the track that cinematic feel, and would fit as a soundtrack to an epic battle scene. Later on, Sam comes in with some beastly vocals, giving this section of the song a bit of a black metal feel. According to the band, the lyrics tackle the "struggles of schizophrenia and constantly hearing voices, being stuck inside your own mind, and detached from reality because of it." A very powerful subject. The band said that the goal with Internal is to promote the "awareness of mental illness and the exploration of dark thought processes and personal struggle." That's amazing because those are very important topics that constantly need addressing. We thank Haven Dream for reaching out to us to give reviews of their two singles, and we look forward to hearing what else the band have to offer on Internal when released.
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