Posted on: August 21, 2016 Posted by: Saif Shaikh Comments: 0
Dræmings – The Eternal Lonesome (CD)

Sumerian Records are one of my favorite modern metal record labels and its founder Ash Avildsen has a keen eye for up and coming artists. Veritable modern metal juggernauts like Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Veil of Maya, Born of Osiris, etc. have been pushed into the limelight by Sumerian Records and they have instantly become crowd favorites in the metal scene. So when Sumerian signed Dræmings, I was admittedly confused. After the first listen of their first single Battle Mountain, all my doubts were cleared and I was instantly converted.

After what seemed like months, their album The Eternal Lonesome dropped out of the ether, and I knew I had to give it a listen because I LOVED the singles Battle Mountain and Teenage Dream Death Machine. Right off the bat, this album has me grooving.

It is difficult to pigeonhole Dræmings into a single genre, because they derive influences from electro-pop, synthwave, indie rock, etc. to make a dreamy, almost ethereal record. They describe their sound as “post-punk creature pop”, so color me intrigued. Whatever genre you want to put them in, nobody can deny that each of their thirteen tracks are catchy and silky smooth.

Aptly named The Eternal Lonesome, the album has an enduring sadness about it. This is caused in no small part by the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kimi. She does a fantastic job of creating almost magical soundscapes with dream-pop era synths, prominent drums (featuring A Perfect Circle’s Jeff Friedl) and indie-rock guitar arrangements. Obviously, Kimi’s heavily-reverbed vocals are centerstage throughout this album, and she hits falsetto notes that most of us can only dream of.

The Eternal Lonesome has elements that remind listeners of 80’s movie soundtracks not unlike what is now a genre staple in the synthwave scene. I am forced to compare songs like Searchlight to something Lana Del Rey would find right up her alley. Some of her quicker, more upbeat songs like Monsters in the Dark, and Golden Girl, the latter of which almost has an indie pop feel to it were very enjoyable, and I found myself happily bouncing along.

I thoroughly enjoyed the production on The Eternal Lonesome which should come as no surprise being produced by Eric Palmquist (of Night Riots fame). All of the instrumentals have room to shine, and never overpower the vocals throughout the record.

A synth-pop artist signed to a metal label? I never thought I would see the day, but I am really happy that it happened, and I hope they continue a fruitful relationship because I am raptly waiting for a sequel to The Eternal Lonesome.

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Battle Mountain, Animals in Disguise, Monsters in the Dark.

Dræmings – The Eternal Lonesome (CD) / Sumerian Records / 13 Tracks / www.draemings.com / www.sumerianrecords.com/artist/details/id:54/

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