DREAMING DEAD falls somewhere in the middle ground between Death Metal and Thrash metal. Some people may prefer one over the other, but if a Death-Thrash band can bring the exciting riffs which thrash is known for, then they stand a fighting chance of winning over fans. This is the band's third full-length release. Founding member Elizabeth Schall is also involved in the band CRETIN.

Opener "Your Grave" brings the riffage, with a high-energy pace that kicks things into gear nicely. Elizabeth Schall's raspy vocals provide some interesting hooks as well. Schall has a vocal style similar to DEATH's Chuck Schuldiner. She gives a dynamic performance throughout the album. The crisp production suits her vocals, as well as the crackling guitar riffs, but the low end sounded somewhat muddy. The album's strengths definitely lie in straightforward, Melodeath tracks such as this one. "Buried" boosts the energy levels of the back half of the album, with a similar style to "Your Grave".

Unfortunately, not all of the tracks were as compelling as the abovementioned two. The tracks "Funeral Twilight" and "No Masters" go for a progressive metal feel - these are done competently, but ultimately I didn't find them particularly compelling. A faster track would've been more welcome after these numbers, but as it is, the instrumental "Remnants of a Time Long Forgotten" do cause a loss of momentum. Things also got a bit lost on closer "Unseeing"; its intro overstays its welcome, and the main riff doesn't quite reach the level of greatness which the songwriter/songwriters aimed for.

This latest album has moments of brilliance, but unfortunately just doesn't live up to its own hype at times. DREAMING DEAD does have some strengths, and hopefully they'll play those up more next time around. "Funeral Twilight" is not terrible by any means, but it's doubtful whether it'll stick in my mind in the usual swirl of metal releases coming out this year.