The Dreamside- Fairy Child

The DreamSide

Fairy Child (CD)

Dancing Ferret Records

Review by Julie Johnson 4/02

The DreamSide breaks out with dark ethereal sounds through the use of good old fashion guitars, bass drums, and soaring female vocals. I liked how they have taken modern instruments and given there sound a more ancient, and European effect. The band does come from the Netherlands, but still I like the european sound they have created. The music takes on a role of being emotional, and melodic through the lush melodies. "Gets Away" takes on a more dark side, and has more metal and gothic elements. I like how the darker male vocals were added. The guitar also had a sonic feel. I liked how the bangos were used, and the flute to create a world beat during the quiet parts of the song. The singer's voice reminds me Sinand O'Oconor. "The Quest" feels very suspenseful and quiet, and then after a long intro the song tends to be more upbeat. I liked how they brought that out. "The Levine" is a dark sound, that has thick beats that seem to bubble during the more strong parts and chorus, and then they fade away when the main part of the song kicks in. I like the piano mixed in under. "Mirror Moon" is definitely the best song, and the strongest showing. The song has great melody with the programming. The vocals are great, and the guitars have great gothic power. The song is heavy at times and definitely stands out as a single. This is a song that shows much emotion, and is memorable on the album. There is also a remix by the Cruxshadow's of Fairy Child, and it is very powerful, and brings the CD to a whole with a strong ending. The last 2 tracks are really strong, and continue to have more gothic tones, and I like this style for them. I like the more pounding and heavy hitting songs for this band. Also note the last 2 tracks are flipped, there is a type o on the song order. "Tears of Being" is last. I really like the swing of the synths and the melody of her vocals during certain parts of this song, especially towards the middle of the song. All together, The DreamSide has a lot of offer between their pulsating electronics, gothic guitar that crashes to the more ethereal side and lush soundscapes.