Inner Strength - 'Daydreaming In Moonlight' (album stream)

Οι Inner Strength σχηματίσθηκαν το μακρινό 1986 στην Νέα Υόρκη και έμειναν ενεργοί μέχρι το 1997 κυκλοφορώντας έναν "ολοκληρωμένο" δίσκο ("Shallow Reflections" 1993) και έξι demos. Επανασυνδέθηκαν προ τετραετίας (2020).

Παράλληλα τα τρία από τα τέσσερα μέλη της μπάντας (όλοι πλην του drummer δηλαδή) δημιούργησαν τους Sunrise Dreamer. Το όνομά τους προέρχεται από το σχετικό τραγούδι των Inner Strength (βλ. το album "Shallow Reflections"), αλλά αυτή είναι μία ιστορία που την έχουμε διηγηθεί ήδη.

Επιστρέφουμε στους Inner Strength, οι οποίοι με την σειρά επέστρεψαν φέτος δισκογραφικά μετά από 31 έτη! "Daydreaming in Moonlight" τιτλοφορείται το δεύτερο full length album τους που κυκλοφόρησε τον προηγούμενο μήνα (19 Ιουλίου 2024) σε cd και ψηφιακή μορφή μέσω της δισκογραφικής εταιρείας Divebomb Records. Οι φίλοι του prog metal (ειδικά εκείνοι που δεν τους γνωρίζουν και δεν έχουν ακούσει το ντεμπούτο τους) ας μην προσπεράσουν ελαφρά τη καρδία...

Δελτίο τύπου: «The earliest, little-known incarnation of Inner Strength formed in 1986 in Long Island, NY as a crossover hardcore/punk outfit. Three years later, founding vocalist Scott Oliva endeavored to put together a stable all-new lineup, transforming Inner Strength into the progressive metal unit for which the band is now remembered.

This formation of the group finally took shape when Oliva was joined by drummer Joe Kirsch alongside former Arioch members Justin Hosman (bass) and Joe Marselle (guitar). Inner Strength would go on to amass an impressive discography of demos and one album between 1989 and 1993, all of which was collected for re-release by Divebomb Records during the summer of 2019.

Following a short-lived Inner Strength reunion to promote said reissues, 3/4 of the band's lineup remained active, composing new material under the name of Sunrise Dreamer and eventually releasing full-length album A World To Know in 2021. But now -with all four members of the classic lineup back in the fold- Inner Strength has returned to put forth what guitarist Joe Marselle classifies as "the album we might have made in 1991 if we had the skills and experience we have today".

The first album of new Inner Strength material in just over 30 years, Daydreaming In Moonlight indeed proves through eight tracks in over 50 minutes that the band has not lost a single step when it comes to administering high-level technical and melodic progressive metal; finding the genre's classic aesthetics of riff-centric musicianship, soaring vocals, and emotive solos coupled with undercurrents of churning groove and a contemporary sense of maturity.

Marselle recounts, "This was going to be an Inner Strength album, so we had to lean into the types of musical passages and melodies we might have considered decades ago.

It was critical that all of us be in shape musically, and each of us spent time wood-shedding our chops until we were ready to go. That level of attention took time, and from start-to-finish we spent over two-and-a-half years working on this album.

However, the results speak for themselves, and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!"

Slated for release in July 2024 via Divebomb Records, Daydreaming In Moonlight will be presented alongside a 12-page booklet of lyrics and photographs. For the fans, by the fans!»