When Echoes Fade

Dreams In Fragments

DREAMS IN FRAGMENTS are a female-fronted, Symphonic Metal band from Switzerland. Their album "When Echoes […]
By Chloe O'Brien
April 4, 2021
Dreams In Fragments - When Echoes Fade album cover

DREAMS IN FRAGMENTS are a female-fronted, Symphonic Metal band from Switzerland. Their album "When Echoes Fades" was released in 2021 following previous album release "Reflections of a Nightmare" in 2019. "Hey You" opens the album with violins straight away with a build up into the vocals and distorted guitar. The vocals are very sweet and contrast well with the heavy bass and guitar, and the male vocals done by Christian are deep in comparison to Seraina's melodic voice.

"Nightmare" is emotional and "I want to break but I don't know how" is a lyric that portraits the emotion held by this song. The clear and vocals contrasting with the heavy backing music is stunning. There is an organ sound in the background to accompany the melodies played on the instruments which adds a magical element to the song. There is lots of use of synthesizer which adds a unique sound to the track. "Rage and Fire" starts off with the panning of the guitar from left to right, proven range in voice as its deeper than previous songs showing range of her voice. There are male growling vocals which add dimension into the song. The good bass and good guitar riff help the crescendo of vocals and adds a dramatic effect, especially with added organ. There are pull offs on guitar throughout the breakdown around the 2-and-a-half-minute alongside the organ and the crashing on the drums make it sound angelic and metal at the same time. The music returns quietly back into the main melody of song.

"By the Sea Forever" a melody played on a synthesizer and heavy guitar introduces song. It is possibly a love song from the lyrics "we guide each other hand in hand". There are good harmonies complementary between male and female vocals. The male voice has a verse, and we get to hear his voice individually. Seraina's voice on this track is quite like an opera singer it is sweet and powerful. The vocals quiet down into synthesizer melody again and has violins added.

"Bulletproof" opens with a wind blowing and it progresses into almost a video game electronic drum track from the organs fast tempo and uses of synthesizer. This track was my personal favorite as it is busy and has a lot of different sounds going on. The use of the organ and the electronic instruments mixed with Seraina's powerful voice make listening to this track so easy, upbeat and interesting. "To Avalon" has good use of electronic instruments in the opening combining electronic dance and heavy guitars bass and drums for a really cool contrast.

"She's the Fall" opens with a melancholic melody on the piano and then there is guitar added as well as violins its is a beautiful intro to the song. The track changes to vocals and heavy guitar with less piano and added violins in the background. The use of tempo changes really adds character to the song telling the story through not only lyrics but with the instrumental as well. "The Queen's Crown" is a mixture of an upbeat melody played on the piano and deep vocals with added guitar riffs making the track sound dramatic and has a sense of suspense to it. There is a section of the song where the male vocalist speaks which adds to the uniqueness of the track.

"We Shout Again" holds a lot of emotion as she sings about life being overwhelming, about how if someone wants them to be silent that they will be louder than before. "The Mind's Abyss" has more organs mixed with the heavy instruments but in this song the male vocals add depth and bring back the element of metal into an otherwise symphonic song. "Showgirl" opens with an orchestral feel to it and it adds heavy guitar. There are more male singing vocals rather than male growling vocals and the comparison between the female and male vocalist is nicely done. The use of violins is a great addition into this song.

The song that ends this album is "Own the Night" it starts off with a pulsing electronic beat and builds up with heavy guitar and bass and spoken words in the beginning. This song is very upbeat and is a great uplifting song to end the album. DREAMS IN FRAGMENTS' album "When Echoes Fade" has a mixture of electronic dance, orchestral, piano, organs and metal, unlike any band or album I had listened to before they are definitely worth listening to if you like any of the elements above mixed with powerful vocals.

9 / 10

Almost Perfect

Songwriting

9

Musicianship

9

Memorability

8

Production

9
"When Echoes Fade" Track-listing:

1. Hey You
2. Nightmare
3. Rage and Fire
4. By the Sea Forever
5. Bulletproof
6. To Avalon
7. She's the Fall
8. The Queen's Crown
9. We Shout Again
10. The Mind's Abyss
11. Showgirl
12. Own the Night  

Dreams In Fragments Lineup:

Jan Thomas - Bass
Christian Geissmann - Guitars, Vocals, Programming, Producing
Seraina Schöpfer - Vocals
Roger Häfliger - Drums  

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