Sounding at times a bit like a post-hardcore Linkin Park and at other times as clean as Evanescence, I, The Dreamer is a unique-sounding band with a powerful presentation. Their debut EP, *Shadow Hearts*, on Standby Records, was released on September 1 and contains five stellar tracks to introduce the band to the world.
Surprisingly, the EP doesn’t contain their previously released singles "Old Souls" or "Battle Scars," but believe it or not, that’s a great thing. While "Battle Scars" and "Old Souls" showed a band in progress, *Shadow Hearts* shows a much more completed picture – the production is superior, the songs are a little harder and at the same time a little catchier, giving a much more fun EP to listen to.
The opening track, "Rise," is a powerful punk rocker with a good mix of hardcore and pop, featuring great vocals by dueling vocalists Matt Kincaid and Alex Kincaid. "Echoes" sounds like a great single and should generate some radio play on harder stations. "Fearless" is a bit slower but flows well with the EP and would be a great live song. "The Black and White of Sleepless Nights" would have been a better track with a little less of the screeching vocals because it’s the slowest of the five tracks, whereas "Dangerous Thing" benefits from the shouting vocals much more than the slick vocals. "Dangerous Thing" features the best drumming on the EP with some killer double bass from Toby Kincaid.
The band is solid and worth checking out. Hopefully, these Birmingham, Alabama rockers will make it out to North America someday and share their live show. There’s enough of a mix of melody and hardcore to make fans of Linkin Park and Korn look to the future of the post-hardcore/nu-metal genres.
Get Tickets
