There’s a subtle art form to progressive metal. A touch medieval, immense story telling in the lyrics and in the end, a sense of mystery and wonder that pulls you into an adventure in as much as a song. All of these facets of the art come to life in the debut release from Dreamkeeper with In a Parallel World.
Dallas Based Taylor Dennis has been working on this release for well over a decade. Collecting experiences and perspectives along the way certainly helped formulate such an amazing debut effort.
“I have been working on In a Parallel World off and on since January 2016, but it really got serious in summer of 2017.” Dennis said when we spoke with him recently. In an age when many releases are done in a matter of weeks, much less months or years, this dedication comes across by capturing all that is vital in progressive metal success. When pressed to name a favorite, well things got difficult again.
“I know it’s a cliché answer” Dennis began; “but all 11 songs are special to me. I could click any of the songs and I’m enjoying what I’m hearing and proud of what I’ve done.” Continuing to push, he relented, a little. “If I had to pick a “favorite” it would have to be obscure the night. That song went through so many changes stylistically, vocally, and even the name of the song which was called The Divided Brave originally. That chorus and riff and overall meaning of the song has a strong connection.”
Dennis couldn’t be more immersed into the local Dallas music scene than he already is. Around 14 years old, he dove into his passions and has become one of the more entertaining parts of the local music history. We’ve watched him grow from his work with The Darkening, I, Embracer, Frame the Enemy and Revengeance DFW and various other projects along the way. It would stand to reason that in all this time, he’s come to jam with other local legends and talents. Dennis writing In a Parallel World through the years was certainly no exception.
“I tracked different individuals over the span of two and a half years to compile all of the tracks for the record.” Dennis explained. “I knew who I wanted to get and I got most of them included. The ones I did not get, will be on the next album.”
Included artists: Travis Wills (Infidel Rising, Ex-Millennial Reign), Daniel Contreras(Entombment), Jason Donnelly (Ex-Millennial Reign), Ivan Cangiolla (Sole Survivor), Tulio Lico (Deathrider), Jacob Glanton (Walk In The Shadows), David Dunlevy (Junk), Cameron Bennett (Ex-Dreamkeeper), Scott Bryggare (Element-x), Alan Bailey (OMG), Daived Drison (Angel Of Vengeance), Jared Chreene (Ex- The Vanity Affair, Chreene Recordings), Bart Van Bemmel (Bart Van Bemmel Music, Wild Boys) and some additional background vocals from Jeremiah Fuentez and Kani Darkening (The Darkening).”
A week before releasing In a Parallel World, Dreamkeeper was blessed with the opportunity to open for the legendary Saxon.
“The Saxon show was great, their fans welcomed us with open arms and it was the first real big show that we had done with this band. I got a lot of new fans that night and even had some crowd participation during our set which is rare these days with local bands.”
Wrapping up my time with Dennis, I put In a Parallel World back on and drift to one of my own favorites, the title cut. There’s just a change of pace in this one that in fact pulls me into that sense of mystery and wonder found within the story.
You will find your own favorites to be sure on such a strong release. I’ll forgo the song by song review as we all have our own sense of mystery to fulfill. Just rest assured that the multi-year effort from Taylor will pull you into another dimension. Let yourself fall into the adventure you’ll find In a Parallel World.
The Band:
Taylor – Lead vocals and lead guitar
Nick – Bass
Jamie – Drums
Ron – Guitar
Support the band by buying your own copy of In a Parallel World
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Bandcamp – dreamkeeper.bandcamp.com
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