Flagellant in Dreamland

The dutch progressive band Dilemma gaining momentum

In the beginning of 1994, the new dutch progressive band Dilemma released their first cassette,"Trapped". It contains four pieces: Arrival, The Horror of Time Travel, In the Trap of the Gods and Believe.
These songs, without "Arrival", reappear in a sometimes quite changed version on Dilemma's debut album, "Imbroccata". The CD contains six other pieces.

The title "Imbroccata" is italian and comes from the fencing world. It means counter attack, and I guess it has to be interpreted as Dilemma's music being a counter attack on the music of today. Like Dream Theater and the dutch band Bagheera, they chose to combine progressive and symphonic musical roots with heavier rock influences.
While the keyboards play a major part in the arrangements and contribute to the band's symphonic flavour, both the bass and the guitar make sure the listener remembers that this is rock after all. Drums and voice supply the progressive blood that flows through the veins of this music.

Relics of regret

Though the recording of the "older" songs has definitly improved, the changes are not always a change for the better. The singing has grown stronger overall, but the music tends to get overproduced. Neither are the changes in the backing vocals in all cases very happily chosen. In addition to this it has to be made clear that making an album with the help of a professional producer is quite something different than producing your own demo tape. What I want to stress is that this tape witnesses the producing abilities of the band members themselves and that they should keep in mind they have this talent. It is by no means a bad sign that a band keeps a lot of influence on its own production.

Imbroccata

Of course there are similarities with other bands that come to mind while listening to this album. Echoes of Rush, of neo-prog bands like Twelfth Night and Pallas and even of typical eighties bands like Simple Minds and Ultravox flow through. Dilemma has been able though to incorporate all of these influences in their own very distinguishable sound.
For the readers who did not read my review of the cassette Trapped, I will comment on each of the songs on this CD briefly one by one.

Believe (9:58)
A very strong beginning, that makes a powerful en vivid impression. Although the end of the song during the first listen reminded me of the Simple Minds, after some more times it produces a mood that suits the nature of the song very well: dealing with personal struggles and beliefs, and in the end overcoming the fear. In comparison with the cassette version, this song has improved: more powerful vocals and a stronger arrangement.

Rock Blossom (6:08)
I heard this song for the first time during a live concert in a more than ten minutes lasting version. It left a browbeating impression on me then, not in the least because of the astounding presentation done by leadsinger Butler. The CD version lasts only six minutes and of course has to do without the extra live performance power. In spite of all that the song remains very strong and I count it among my three favourites of this album. For a short while I thought to hear a theme borrowed from Prokofiev's "Stone Flower", but that (and the name relation) must be my mistake.

Duck (6:12)
An up-tempo song about the problem and dangers of being a poet: art versus public favour, reactions of the homefront, the fear of getting empty or superficial. Nice is the role of the Hammond-like organ. Quite a good song.

The Horror of Time Travel (8:33)
A soing about the dangers of modern technology and the positivist belief that in time everything will improve. It is a powerful song, that takes you along easily and still lets you discover new things after moer listens. Because the on the cassette preceding Arrival has been dropped, the intro makes a different impression. The arrangement has been changed too, sometimes causing an overproduced effect. The role of the guitar in Parts has been extended, but still it could have been improved more. Because drums, bass and rhythm guitar are more abundant than in the cassette version, the song has got "heavier" and a little less vivid.

Spiral (1:00)
Instrumental piece, written by keyboard player Robin Z.

In the Trap of the Gods (4:08)
Compared to the cassette version, this song has been shortened by a minute. The background vocals have also been changed, which is not always an improvement. What stays is the catchy chorus, that already won't leave your head after some listens.

Vampire (4:33)
This song is vivid and catchy, the vocals are very evocative and in my opinion they are, together with the vocals on Believe, the best proof of what Butler is capable of when performing live. Musically speaking this is an excellent song, but where the lyrics are concerned it is substantly weaker than the other songs on this album. Where the other lyrics reach a maximum in effect with a minimum use of resources, this lyric stays at the surface in its abundance. I have to admit that there is no evidence of this weakness while listening, but it apperas when reading the lyrics in the supplied booklet (and it is supplied on purpose, isn't it ?).

Goodbye Cruel World (5:37)
My third favourite on this album. On vocals, guest singer Paula Katipana does a great job next to Butler. Also a good balance has been kept in the contributions of the various instruments. Guitar player Toll shows that he can cope with solo guitar parts just as well as with the rhythm guitar parts, which he should have done more on this album in my opinion. The violin part at the end is simply great. Songs like these make me long for a real magnum opus.

Go On (7:40)
This song had to grow on me. At first I found it rather superficial, but after some more listens I noticed the subtlety of the arrangement and I begun to really love the closing part, where a great emotional power is evocated and a gradually built up tense is released.

These things have to happen, but it's not the end ... yet

It strikes me about this album that the songs connect very well and sometimes even shade off into one another. This gives the whole CD the character of a concept album, which gets strenghtened by the corresponding themes of several songs: struggle for a personal hold (Believe, Rock Blossom, Duck) in a world that is doomed to fall down (The Horror of Time Travel, In the Trap of the Gods, Goodbye Cruel World). The closing section of Go On gives a both synthesis of these questions and a possible opening for a solution ("accept the invitation to the feast").
This quote is characteristic of another striking element on lyrical level, namely the phenomenon of death and heaven overlapping. Maybe this gives an explanation for the fact that in the majority of the lyrics the protagonist has thoughts that tend to suicide, while the music continues to evocate a mood that is powerful and cheerful (though with a mildly ironic undertone).

The state of the art as we know it...

With the artwork for this CD I am very content. The drawing by Marion Altena that led to the title of this album is quite good and the booklet is very well produced. It is clear from the liner notes that the band put a lot of effort in the realisation of the concept themselves. The professionality with which this is done gives good hopes and high expectations for the future.

Go on ...

Though I have some points of criticism, basically I find Imbroccata a good album. Until now I heard it more than ten times and I find myself humming pieces of its music. Still I discover new things in it and amazingly it keeps growing on me.
Dilemma is gaining momentum and the future has to be smiling broadly at them.

April 11 1995,
Peter J.R. Vermaat 1

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