Diary of Dreams

Menschfiend (Metropolis)
By Wa

In the vein of Girls Under Glass comes longtime Goth/industrial favorite Diary of Dreams with their eighth release, Menschfiend, a worthy successor to the conceptual 2004 masterpiece Nigredo, and a strong return to the strengths of the haunting orchestral compositions and intimate piano parts of the past. Menschfiend is a German pun that collides the terms Mensch (meaning “man”) and Fiend (meaning “foe”). Using a combination of English and German verses and choruses, Diary of Dreams manages to create a lusciously dark and classically electronic groove that illustrates through the use of emotional and metaphorical lyrics how we often become our own greatest nemesis. Conquer the inner demons, so the saying goes, and anything is possible. Like Lance Armstrong faced with a battle for his life against a cancerous foe assisted by his own body, the result can be quite cathartic, but only if we survive the metamorphosis. Menschfiend is quite powerful, particularly when listened to in conjunction with Nigredo. Titus, the five year old boy depicted on the cover wearing the famous cannibal mask exhibited with such creepy mastery in the Silence of Lambs, alone is worth the purchase.

Diary of Dreams was founded by Accession Records label owner Adrian Hates in 1994 with the release of their first album, Cholymelan, but did not take off until the release of their second album (and not so coincidently, the first release on the Accession label), End of Flowers. It would lead to major European appearances and a burgeoning worldwide fan base as devoted now as they were 10 years ago.

Often, their sound has been compared to Girls Under Glass, as well as old standbys such as Laibach, Einsturzende Neubaten, and Die Form. And like them, Hates has clearly influenced the sound of many of his contemporaries, including Das Ich, Wumpscut, Icon of Coil, Rammstein, and VNV Nation.
(www.metropolis-records.com)