ALBUM REVIEW: Queen Of Broken Dreams – Scarlet Dorn

Some of the greatest music can come from combining elements from different genres. Many artists have meshed together the catchiness of pop with the edge of metal, and German rockers SCARLET DORN have done just this. Never ones to box themselves in with genre boundaries, SCARLET DORN release their latest album Queen Of Broken Dreams, designed to take you through a journey of electronic beats and rock ballads.

Immediately an air of drama and performance is created with opening track Falling, which sets an energetic pace that is interspersed between several rock ballads that showcase the depth of Scarlet’s vocals in particular. Soon comes the electronics and percussion of the title track, which manages to create haunting layers of electronic keys and guitars in a manner that recalls bands like GHOST. The layers add to the storytelling of the song, way beyond the lyrics, which set a deeper tone that is continued on from this point.

Queen Of Broken Dreams is an album of twists and turns. One moment it’s the sombre piano of When You See Me Again, the next it’s the groovy uptempo electronics of Love Wasn’t Made For Me. This builds upon the excitement of the record, as what comes next isn’t always obvious but is always a pleasant surprise. Unstill Life is one of these powerful, sing your heart out songs that manages to combine both of these prominent elements of the album. The lyrics tell the story of heartbreak, vocalised effortlessly by Scarlet, whilst having heavy riffs weaved through. It is a winning combination of serenity and power that creates a delicate atmosphere that is unique to SCARLET DORN.

Whilst still relatively new to the scene, being formed in 2016, SCARLET DORN have managed to carve out their own path and sound that have made them well known in the dark rock space. As a band that isn’t afraid to push boundaries and to experiment with sound, Queen Of Broken Dreams is almost a narrative of highs and lows kindred to the human emotion that is threaded throughout the entirety of the record.

Rating: 7/10

Queen Of Broken Dreams is out now via SPV.

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