:: Killing The Dream - Lucky Me

Killing The Dream

It’s been a long time since Californian hardcore act Killing The Dream last graced listeners with something new. But after a lengthy two year break, they’re back with their third full-length album ‘Lucky Me’ - a long awaited follow up to their critically acclaimed album ‘Fractures’ from 2008. Given the subtle changes between the band’s debut effort (2005’s ‘In Place Apart’) and ‘Fractures’, it was expected that Killing The Dream would once again make some adjustments to their sound. And as predicted, compared with earlier works, ‘Lucky Me’ really is something different and yet remains true to the sound that initially caught the attention of so many in the hardcore scene. Having had the benefit of hearing Deathwish Inc.’s downloadable sampler midway through 2010, I was already familiar with the album’s opening track ‘Blame The Architects’. By far, one of the most unexpected surprise efforts on the sampler, it comes as no real surprise to find that the song is one of the album’s stronger tracks as well, with Killing The Dream clearly expanding on their trademark sound, and succeeding in spectacular fashion. With its raging introduction, the song showcases Horner’s first foray into cleaner vocals to counterbalance his harsher screamed efforts, as well as allowing dispersing with the relentless barrage around the halfway mark to make way for some subtle violin work (Courtesy of Anna Stosich) and keyboards to create a truly stunning piece of work. Uncompromisingly heavy yet melodic in places, and boasting a bridge that gives the song a completely unexpected feel from what you would normally expect from Killing The Dream, ‘Blame The Architects’ is without a doubt one of the strongest songs Killing The Dream have penned to date, and a personal favourite.

The intense and angry blast of ‘Walking, Diseased’ is a little more along the lines of Killing The Dream’s older songs, but still manages to keep with the melodic slant of the opener in places on the vocal front, while the brutal assault of ‘Hell Can Wait’ sees the band take a step into the past, without sounding out of place on the album. ‘Testimony’ is another interesting cut on the album; with former Dance Gavin Dance front man Kurt Travis helping out with some clean vocals alongside Horner. Despite how it sounds on paper, the song still retains an edge with some heavy tribalistic drumming and jarring guitar work - complimenting the melodic vocal work quite well. The semi-melodic ‘Past Of A Saint (We Were Thieves)’ manages to steer the album back to the heavier side of hardcore, before tapering off the speed around the halfway mark to trail out with a bit more of a heavy/melancholy vibe, while the closer ‘Black’ combines everything that the band stand for in the musical sense, with shades of angry hardcore mixed with the band’s newfound melodic edge clashing in a memorable finale. I’ve enjoyed Killing The Dream’s efforts in the past, and always found it interesting the changes the band have made in-between releases. ‘Lucky Me’ is a major shift in sound since ‘Fractures’, but strangely enough a shift that suits the band. Apart from being disappointed to find the album a little short (clocking in a just a touch over nineteen minutes), ‘Lucky Me’ is by far Killing The Dream’s most experimental and rewarding releases to date.