After their solid last LP from three years ago, Danish band STATEMENT is back with their fourth album “Dreams From The Darkest Side“, again recorded in Medley Studios and produced by experienced Søren Andersen — a guy I have come to really respect, having worked with Glenn Hughes, Tygers of Pan Tang, and currently Mike Tramp – so expect a bright, potent sound quality.
With the same line-up as the previous album, Statement demonstrates their perfectionism after several long hours in the studio, with their heads deeply buried in the world of music in the culmination between hard work and enormous focus in further development – among other things, with a tight band chemistry and more diverse songwriting.
“Dreams From The Darkest Side” carries Statement further into the facets of hard rock / metal. A high range of flashy melodies, groove and metallic elements characterise this rocking album, without the band giving up their catchy choruses and exuberant guitar solos in the span between hard rock, melodic metal and emotionally ballads.
Opener ‘Don’t You Hide It’ kicks off with a driving rhythm and a nice little lead guitar intro before a classic hard rocking verse and chorus to get your head nodding right from the start. Lyrically it sets the scene for the whole album, very intense and personal whether exploring the darker side of the mind or the joys of reaching the heights and being the best you can.
If you want heavier stuff, then going straight into ‘The Reaper’ gives you just that. A huge dark riff, big vocals and evil undertones. Like Twisted Sister’s ‘Destroyer’ it provides a complete contrast to the rocking pace of the rest of the album, but the immense power of singer Jannick Brochdorf makes it work so well.
Title track ‘Dreams From the Darkest Side’ has an epic feel and is a perfect mix of what Statement do best, combining a full-on double bass drum opening with melody, guitar harmonies and some classic hard rock soloing. There’s no mindless shredding just for the sake of speed here.
The solos from founding guitarist and songwriter Niels Alex Larsen are at the service of the song impact, a touch bluesy at times reminding me of fellow Scandinavian John Norum despite the more contemporary sound of the band. The two guitarists work really well providing the perfect showcase for Jannick who effortlessly moves from raw edgy power to smoother melodies.
‘Lifeline’ sees the band showing a few modern influences, definitely a good thing from my point of view. We find more of this contemporary sound in the likes of ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘Indestructible’, however the overall album style is classic edgy hard rock with melody.
The whole record displays genuine quality throughout, with attention to detail. Another huge strength on “Dreams From The Darkest Side” is the sound and production.
Søren Andersen is a top guy in this matter, assuring a clear, crisp delivery despite the many layers and textures. A great drum sound throughout and excellent balance in the standout lead work from Niels that never gets buried in the mix but neither does it overpower the rest of each song.
After a couple of line-up changes from the first two albums, the consistency of same personnel, same studio and producer as 2019’s ‘Force of Life’ certainly seems to have had its benefit for Statement as a unit with a more cohesive set of songs. And this is despite the twists and turns through Metal and Hard Rock – Melody and Muscle that also help define the band.
“Dreams From The Darkest Side” show that Statement have been trying damn hard to get better for the last few years, and they succeeded in spades. This album rocks hard, with melody, sharp execution and a set of very good songs.
Lineup:
Jannick Brochdorf – vocals
Niels Alex Larsen – lead guitars, backing vocals
Lars Ulrik Le Fevre – guitars, backing vocals
Martin Poulsen – bass
Daniel Nielsen – drums
Tracklist:
1. Don’t You Hide It
2. The Reaper
3. Dreams From The Darkest Side
4. Sacrifice
5. Lifeline
6. Here I Am
7. Beyond Control
8. Escaped
9. Indestructible
10. Fade Away