Schwerer Traum – “You Are Free” / “In My Dreams”
Schwerer Traum – “You Are Free” / “In My Dreams” – Singles Review
Back in March of 2023, we were introduced to the sound of Schwerer Traum and their heavy-ass Groove Metal style through the song “Rotations” that we’d posted up here in our special reports section. Those of you that have been reading through our site for years know that’s generally where we keep the gloves on, and that here in our review section, we take’em off for a much more in-depth look at what we’re listening to, all in a sincere effort to get to the heart of why something does or doesn’t work. I’ve had times where what we post to both sections has revealed a massive chasm of diifference, going from a positive & supportive video post, to a damning critical indictment in review…but Schwerer Traum need not be worried about a thing – these guys are truly on solid ground and do what they do extremely well.
Which makes sense when you dig into the details – Schwerer Traum has been around rocking the nuts off of Germany since 1993, with a current roster that has existed since just prior to the turn of the century. For them to have spent twenty-five years playing together and not know each other inside and out would just be weird at this point, wouldn’t it? So yes…rest assured…they sound every bit as professional as you’d expect a band that’s been around as long as they have would be. A five piece lineup in total, you’ve got guitar from Finn & Tobi, bass from Nils, drums from Claus, and vocals from a second Tobi in Schwerer Traum. Well…he was the first Tobi in the band according to their official timeline if I’m getting the details right, but you get what I mean – they have a total count of two Tobis.
Anyhow. I really liked what I heard in “Rotations” previously, and had no reason to doubt that I’d enjoy what they’ve got here in these two singles, “In My Dreams,” and “You Are Free.” In fact, they don’t really NEED my opinion on a track like “In My Dreams” – they’ve already racked up more than five digits of hits on this track at YouTube since its release…so clearly the court of public opinion has already rendered their verdict and the people dig what they hear. Lest we forget, that’s merely one platform of many online, and a quick glance at Spotify will easily confirm that “In My Dreams” is probably the band’s most popular track to-date. Which…I suppose I get that to a degree – I think I’m likely more partial to “You Are Free” personally, but that’s no knock against “In My Dreams” – that’s simply my own personal taste, and to be truthful, I think I’ve likely flipped back & forth between them both as I listened to these songs over this past week. They’re both rock solid when it comes right down to it. A track like “In My Dreams” reminds me a lot of what you’d find in the band Cold from back in the late 90s/2000s when Schwerer Traum was first building up their momentum…so I suppose it makes sense that comparatively we end up hearing something similar between them. Each of these tunes reveal the way that Schwerer Traum use the dynamics of their sound to their advantage, but each through different means. When it comes to “In My Dreams,” you’ll find they drift into more melodic vibes and give this song kind of a hazy Post-Rock sound to its outer edge, while maintaining the molten core of heavy Groove-Rock/Metal they are most typically found inside of. I dig it though…this band plays with real passion and intent inside of every note they play, and you really feel it in your chest when the rhythm section leans into their sound. Guitars are all on-point, and the vocals are on in tone too. Ultimately, I think we could debate back and forth about whether or not a song like “In My Dreams” does or doesn’t have the kind of memorable hooks you’d need to keep the people coming back – but at the same time, the numbers already speak to that…clearly people HAVE come back to listen many times – this track’s success is already proven. Do I think they’ve still got more of an opportunity to beef up how memorable their material could be? Sure! Most artists and bands do, to be fair. The main strengths of a song like “In My Dreams” lie in the steady musicianship & massive presence of the band playing as one, as well as the real interest they generate in their material. Maybe those qualities are memorable for some of you, maybe they’re not – I honestly don’t know that I’d remember the song “In My Dreams” years and years from now specifically, but I would absolutely remember the fact that I liked what I heard from Schwerer Traum & know that I’d wanna hear more from’em anytime, because these guys bring their A-game to their material. So being memorable in music, ultimately, works on a few different levels and they’ve got one of’em locked down. Lyrically, they’re doin’ really well for goin’ the German-to-English route…it’s a whole lot better than my English-to-German, I assure you. The imagery they’re using through the words of “In My Dreams” works well on a visual level, and for the most part, I’d say thematically everything fits pretty damn well here. “You’re grooving my world” is a little bit flower-power for their particular sound, but I can let that slide.
So like I was saying…I’d probably advocate a bit more strongly on behalf of “You Are Free,” even though this track is also a bit on the fringe of my own personal taste. Does Schwerer Traum have a track that sits right in the middle of “In My Dreams” and “You Are Free” stylistically? Because if they do, that’s probably gonna be my favorite track. I’m very rarely all for the growly vocals where Metal goes into beast-mode. Aside from that aspect of “You Are Free,” which is a minimal part of its DNA, I freakin’ love the rest of everything else I hear. And hell – I’d even tell you that when Tobi gets his growl on, that it fits this particular track! Doesn’t make it any more of my jam on a personal level, but I get it, it does work. That being said…the rest of what they’ve got goin’ on surrounding the growly-stuff, is basically a straight-up masterpiece and practically universal beyond genre borders…as in, they’ve got a sound on “You Are Free” that is strong enough to pull people in from the outside of their style of music. That’s never an easy task, but when you listen to the undeniable groove they’ve got rockin’ at the core of “You Are Free” and how bloody irresistible it is, what else can be said? That’s simply a sound that ALL of the people out there are gonna wanna hear, full stop. Will they go into the growlin’ stuff later on down the road as “You Are Free” continues on and be just as enthusiastic about that particular part in the song? I would imagine that’s where they’ll possibly lose a few folks along the way, but the hardcores among us will certainly love that moment, and they’ll also love that it’s harder for the masses to hang with overall. The question becomes, did Schwerer Traum need to add that extra part into “You Are Free” at all? Is it worth potentially taking a track that is likely going to bring in EVERYONE to listen, only to possibly push them away with some serious force when they change it up into the growling parts? Only they’re going to know the answer to that question at the end of the day, and trial & error is really the only way to find things out in the artistic realm anyhow. To me, they had a kickass THICK groove goin’ on that like, merged the space in between something like Soundgarden and King’s X…and the badassery of a song like “You Are Free” at its most rhythmic, catchy, and melodically intense, is well worth the price of admission every time. I’ll stick it out through the growling parts, because that’s how damn good the rest of this song really is. To be truthful, it’s one of the most addictive grooves I’ve heard in any Rock/Metal track for quite some time…my gut tells me that the best way they could have served this particular song is to have preserved that universal vibe without getting pulled into too much of a niche direction, but by the same token, if they feel like they’ve got a responsibility to their sound/style that needs that growling, then that’s a type of preservation as well…and perhaps a more important one for their career as a band. All I know for sure is that they’ve got some absolutely incredible stuff happening within “You Are Free” – and they reach a level of accessibility in this track that could very well be the blueprint for the way forward from here for Schwerer Traum. Having said that, there are more than enough people in this world that wanna be screamed at & growled at too…so if that’s your jam, boy oh boy do they have something large for ya on “You Are Free” that you’ll wanna turn right the fuck up for. I don’t mind the growls, but they’re far from my favorite part in a song as supreme as “You Are Free” is. To me, that was the questionable inclusion in this song, but the rest of “You Are Free” is completely 100% brilliant. At the end of the day, they play their music professionally and own their moment in time, every time – that’s all that ever matters. Any time that’s the case, they give themselves a genuine shot at winning over anybody listening and bringing another soul willingly into the realm of Schwerer Traum’s music.
Find out more about Schwerer Traum from their official website at: https://www.schwerertraum.de
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