They never left, just minding their own business as time kept going and going, until they lifted their heads again, to continue a heritage in formation. I'd tell you, this is another band that I came to review that came back with a studio release after seven years. I have no idea if whether it is a new fashion or just coincidence, but it sure is special. There is something about the number seven that made the timing so right. Anyway, one of the heaviest Heavy Metal bands returned to action after too damn long silence, the Swedish DREAM EVIL, led by the producer / musician, Fredrik Nordström. After making a great run in the last decade with superb albums to the Metal pantheon, suddenly everyone turned busy. Gladly that the wait is over. Still holding on to Century Media, the Swedes unraveled "Six", guess what it is their sixth album. Let's just say that don't expect anything out of the ordinary, just tune up and start listening.

Throughout their career span, DREAM EVIL has been rounding up clichés in Metal and Rock music and making songs out of them. Sounds pretty common right? It was done a lot in the 80s. Yeah, but now we are supposed to be more sophisticated right? Notice how many subgenres we have in Metal music and you would know what I am babbling about. So no, we don't. The adamant DREAM EVIL is all about the book, the natural being of Metal, and trust me that if those clichés are done good, you would fall for them in a second. "Six", in general, is no different in its program than the previous albums. It was amazingly produced, presenting the modern sound that has been integral in the band's continuity. It illustrated once more what is Heavy Metal by the book of Heavy Metal and it tried to round up all the topics that make us tick, thus means a constant, brick by brick, songwriting that is expected, catchy and quite similar as the album advances. The musicianship has always been at top level, and it came to pass right here as well, those seven years were probably a warmup exercise for Nordström and the gang, especially for Niklas Isfeldt, which his vocals had been missed all those years, and with Mark U Black back in the fold, an aspect that really leveled up the lead guitar carvings.

One thing though, and I caught it while listening to the first half of the album. There is a difference between "Six" and the some of the previous albums, like "The Book Of Heavy Metal", "Dragonslayer" and "In The Night". I don't know why, but something in the songwriting made me believe that there is a certain fatigue. To put it bluntly, some of the songs felt tired, frozen, burned out, lacking of passion, fire that burned once extinguished by who knows what. I won't doubt that these tunes were well written, and with a heaviness that is almost uncanny in Traditional Metal, but I expected much more. I remember reading that the band had more than 15 songs ready, maybe it was the selection that lowered the bar for this one.

On the other hand, "Six" still holds a thousand points of light. Songs such as "Too Loud", "44 Riders" and "Sin City" put yet another seal of why the 80s were the ultimate years of Metal. No matter if the modern sounded pierced through the ears, the core is decades old and the machine is oiled, strong as it can be. "The Murdered Mind" and "Broken Wings" is an established front for DREAM EVIL, a proof that they can mix the 80s fire with a few contemporary moves that re no rest for the wicked. Lastly there is the anthem, one of us Metalheads' hymns, "We Are Forever", which depicts that we are here to stay, for good, no matter what others will say.

"Six" is a superb album, and yes it was worth the wait. It might not be as classy as the legendary "The Book Of Heavy Metal", yet it is a tough nut in Metal, a kind of album that declares that Metal is more than just music, but also a way of life.