Dream Evil - The Book of Heavy Metal (2004/Century Media) Rating - 8.6 The band's third release is more of the same, in terms of the driving guitar-thick sound. Images of fellow power metallers Hammerfall, Falconer, Tad Morose, and At Vance cross the mind at times, without ever being directly copied. And speaking of "power metal," that is a label that Dream Evil somewhat shuns. However, from a listening perspective, there's really nowhere else to put them -- and it shouldn't be frowned upon in any case. There's a bit more cheese this go-round in terms of the lyrics and song topics, but it's heavy-ass cheese, so all's well that ends well. The solid and thick title track opens the offering, and its rebellious and fun lyrics have been the mantra of many a metal youth over the past 20 years. Both "Crusader's Anthem" and "M.O.M." are nice and thick, with the latter serving up some of that aforementioned cheeeeese (M.O.M. stading for "man or mouse"). "Chosen Twice" has a gothic and expansive feel to it, with "The Mirror" being one of the group's best cuts, as it is absolutely crunching and evil. All of "Into the Moonlight," "The Sledge," and "Tired" are good, with "No Way" being a straight-up homage to Zakk-era Ozzy Osbourne, both musically and vocally. The branching out and semi-lighthearted approach to parts of the songwriting process may initially turn off some, but in terms of character, this disc trumps the band's first two offerings. A solid release, and simply a lot of fist-raising fun. TRACK LIST: The Book of Heavy Metal/Into the Moonlight/The Sledge/No Way/Crusader's Anthem/Let's Make Rock/Tired/Chosen Twice/M.O.M./The Mirror/ Only For the Night/Unbreakable Chain Discuss this album on the UMR Message Boards! Get Information on the Premium Package Back to Discography