“Halcyon’s Dream explores a rougher route, with an abrasive sound that will definitely excite metal fans.”
A stunning follow-up to their debut album, Perfect Storm, Halcyon’s Dream is the second studio release by the Prague-based Czech band Porcelain Shards. Diverging from the melodic sound of the debut, which was heavily influenced by indie and electronic music, Halcyon’s Dream explores a rougher route, with an abrasive sound that will definitely excite metal fans.
Clocking in at 42 minutes and 17 seconds, the album contains ten songs, making it slightly longer than their previous album. The band are definitely in their element with this one. A mix of double bass drum beats and distorted guitar riffs set against stacked vocals informs the album’s metal identity. Interestingly, frontman and lyricist Martin Schwarz opts out of the characteristic groans and screams, choosing instead to use a clean and natural singing voice throughout.
The first nine songs are full of metal fervour, further divided into metal subgenres. Tracks like “Rebars”, “Halcyon’s Dream”, “Nature of Man”, “With Headphones” and “Constellations In Mud” are brutal and provocative heavy metal specimens. “Punk Princess” is catchy and energetic, a real power pop earworm. “Wings Of Night” is punchy and accessible, a wonderful ode to classic stadium hard rock, while “Voices” blends the traditional elements of hard rock with the raw energy and DIY attitude of punk rock, tending towards the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The diversity between individual tracks is really impressive, and is elevated by the technical finesse of the mixing and mastering.
The final track, “Little Fox”, is a somewhat unorthodox closer to the album, doing a complete one-eighty from the metal route and opting for a gentler, more intimate tone. Frontman and lyricist Martin Schwarz wrote the song in an attempt to capture the fleeting nature of time. It is a personal and fervent reflection on his own musical journey, and it evoked some deep emotions in me.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this release and was glad to witness the growth of Porcelain Shards since their debut. I cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
