Jacobs Dream - Theater of War (2001)
Jacobs Dream is back with their follow-up effort to their self-titled Metal Blade release. And what a follow-up it is. The band is now made up of Billy Queen - drums, John Berry - guitar, James Evans - bass, David Taylor - vocals, and Derek Eddleblute - guitar. This power metal outfit delivers one of the best albums of 2001 in this writers opinion. Theater of War improves upon the bands past releases as it is heavy as before but shows a leap of maturity in the music. The metal sound is there as before but it is more passionate on this cd and better production of the music make the songs leap out to the listener. The overall smoothness of the songs also contributes to the listening pleasure. Theater of War is a classic metal album, whether in the 80s or 90s or the new millenium. The dual guitars perform in concert and deliver the heavy yet melodic parts with clarity. There is an element of groove in the music not found before on past releases which helps capture the listeners attention and expose the melodic parts. The drums have also improved on this release as the tin sound is gone and replaced with more a complimentary beat. Also contributing to the better sound is the maturation of David Taylor's vocals. While a bit too high on the past release he delivers a knowckout punch vocally. All the people who said he was a Geoff Tate clone had better listen again because his vocals are all his own this time. Taylor hits the highs with passion and sings in the mid-range with class. He matches up well with the music and stays in line with the tempo and lead changes. Taylor has refined his craft well this time around and deserves the credit for a well delivered vocal performance. Songs on Theater of War include Sanctuary, Theater of War, Traces of Grace, Wisdom, The Warning, Sarah Williams, De Machina Est Deo, Black Souls and Critical Mass. The band speaks out about finding grace in the midst of war, the coming battle of Armageddon, the horror of nuclear holocaust and the challeges of obtaining wisdom. Jacobs Dream demonstrate that a little maturity in song-writing and music composition can go a long way to making a good band better. Theater of War is an outstanding album. Fans of previous Jacobs Dream material will love this album as will serious power metal fans. -- Alex Mull