In Thy Dreams - Highest Beauty
(War/Century Media)Second full-length from this Swede second-stringer ain't exactly so at 31 minutes (Rhapsody puts out 42 minute EPs these days), but that's all it takes for In Thy Dreams to strike with their brisk, nothing new, melodic death. Think Soilwork, Arch Enemy, Carnal Forge with thoughtful stacks of six strings, slightly mercury-poisoned (and self-produced) towards an Entombed guitar sound. Lyrically the band are tightly thematic but broken and cryptic around a vague theme: passing into the ether, past sins making that ether Hell, Hell being beautiful, front cover displaying the type of scarred angels you'll hang with once arrived. Like I say, there's nothing new here, but if you dig mournful thrash backboned by an awesome, cymbal-happy drummer... I've heard a lot of bands in my time, and In Thy Dreams is certainly one of them.
Rating 6.5