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 January 2007 The Sleeper The Dreamer Lucid Wait for Me Awake Farewell |
All six tracks from The Dreamer are available for free download and streaming on my Mp3 sites. The cd is also available for purchase. The cd includes both the full production versions which are available for free download on my mp3 sites as well as acoustic mixes which will only be available on the cd. $5.00 + $1.50 s/h |
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To what dream have I awakened
As on many nights before When I sleep is to explore The dark path that is forsaken Often seen but never taken Always locked behind the door But this night the door swings open Tempting me to step inside To take the road I was denied The broken lock an evil omen Foretelling of the malice within That I carelessly defied With great excitement I cross over Charging forward with conceit Unaware of the deceit That my nightmare had in store From behind me locks the door Forever sealing my retreat The darkened path now lies ahead Leading into the abyss My curiosity persists To draw me to a place I dread And so forward I am led To where nothing surely exists |
So into endless night I wander
The door is locked I have no key In the dark what waits for me Images fade like distant thunder What secrets behind doors I wonder Frightening dreams I dare not see I walk alone in search of nothing Except a way to get back home With every step my fear has grown Even though I know I’m dreaming I can’t escape this dreadful feeling That I’m lost in here alone But then in dark a door appears Faded in a nightmare haze Powerfully it draws my gaze Like the door that brought me here This sign of hope feels so sincere To free me from this dreadful maze I reach the end, I was mistaken Not one but two side by side Which door to take I must decide One leads home from sleep I’ll waken And one to infinite ascension I make the choice and step inside |
Reviews for The Dreamer |
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| From Doom-metal.com Three years after his debut, Nathan P. Holly returns. 'The Suffering' received a lot of acclaim from many different origins. The acclaim from the doom metal community includes my own review (which can be read here) as well as the comment "it totally rocks" from Vito Marchese of Novembers Doom fame. With 'tHe drEameR' however, the focus is on melancholic ballads and while the mood can indeed be considered "doomy", the doom metal elements are absent this time. Nathan himself categorizes this album as a "dark acoustic project" and as far as those three words go, it's a pretty decent description. I would probably call it deep blue rather than dark because of it's miserable tone but basically it still focuses on a balladic structure. 'tHe drEameR' mainly consists of an acoustic guitar, bass and the same clean, sad vocals as on 'The Suffering'. In addition, there are tiny hints of other instruments including piano, flute synth, violin synth and single chord playing on an electric guitar. These latter instruments are very subdued and only add a final touch to achieve the right feeling for the song. Those who find it annoying would only need to listen to the last six tracks which are acoustic versions of the first six tracks. 'tHe drEameR' is a concept album which is based on the contents of an eight verse poem that Nathan wrote. The main difference is that the well written poem concentrates on "The Sleeper's" point of view as he wanders in exploration through his inner dark side, while the lyrics based on the poem include a "she" and are more romantic in tone. While I don't have a clear answer as to what is really happening, my interpretation is that this "she" might have some similar function as with the lost love on 'The Suffering'. Her demise lives on in his mind and appears to him in his dreams, haunting him with grief until he finally faces his sorrow and puts her memory to rest. In simple sentences, Nathan none the less creates a very emotional tale that encourages one to listen to it as it's being told. The lyrics easily inspire one's own feelings. Whether or not this new style is permanent is a good question. As he himself says: "My first project was originally supposed to be something similar to this but somehow lost it's way. So I decided to revisit that idea in order to more fully understand a part of music that I plan to make more integral in my future work." I'm pretty sure this means that we'll get more from both styles of Nathan's music in the future. It's also clear that even with a great debut, he's still improving and thus I believe we'll hear music with even more maturity in the future. Nathan P. Holly is a modern bard who tells intimate stories of mourning. Those who find my description to be of interest should download this album here: http://www.NathanHolly.com, yes the first version is free. I find no reason what so ever not to recommend this album to just about any fan of sad music. By Arnstein H. Pettersen | |
| From UltimateMetal.com The Suffering Self-Released – 2003  One-man band Nathan Holly hails from Wisconsin, and The Suffering is his 31-minute debut of Agalloch-like doom. In fact, “Endgame” is very similar to the softer side of the influential, Oregonian unit. Holly’s pipes parallel Haughm’s, too, but the everyman vocals are easily the weakest component of his repertoire. Though his vocal performance simply suffices, his guitar playing, drum programming, and overall songwriting excels. The leads near the end of “Desolate” are great, and even if the composition isn’t exactly utilitarian, there’s no self-indulgence to be found in this earnest piece of work. Warranting comparison to Agalloch yet again on “Am I Dreaming,” Holly briefly experiments more heavily with distortion and scattered growls, which adds some differentiation to an otherwise predictable approach. In short, it’s a nice addition. “In Death…” and “I Am Alone” are dark, tasteful numbers that bring the 6-track album to a close. The Dreamer Self-Released – 2007  One should note that the production has improved from what it was on The Suffering, though both albums are far from shoddy in said department. As a matter of fact, there’s no distinguishable difference between a home studio and professional studio in the case of Nathan Holly’s work. It’s also apparent that The Dreamer is tangible evidence of a boost of confidence for Holly, and opener “The Sleeper” displays a firm grip on songwriting as the tune has more depth than any of its predecessors – the use of piano/keyboards being an especially nice touch. Still, Holly would surely benefit from vocal lessons, even if the vocals are satisfactory here. In true Antimatter acoustic doom fashion, however, the remainder of The Dreamer plays out much like Planetary Confinement, mood-wise, in the dark “Wait for Me,” melancholy “Awake,” and optimistic “Farewell.” Gone completely is the distortion and growling, which is actually positive in this case since the acoustic theme works incredibly well. Following the full, 6-track recording is “a stripped down acoustic version,” to use his words, that is only available on the CD – as opposed to free download on his site. Similar to The Suffering, this one also features Holly’s hand-drawn artwork, and in communicating with him in order to set up these reviews, it’s noticeable that he cares for his art a great deal, which shows in every respect. Between the two, I must admit that Dreamer is superior to Suffering in nearly every way, and that’s the one I’d actually recommend. So if you adore Antimatter’s Planetary Confinement and would like something in the same vein – minus strings and female vocals – then check out the former. Or, if you’ve got a spare $10 lying around, you can pick both of ‘em up. In any case, there’s pleasure to be gleaned from each, but his sophomore installment does trump his debut for what it’s worth. By Jason Jordan |
| © 2003-2008 Nathan P. Holly |