DreamReaper "Astro Blaster" EP Review

This is a belated review of the second and most recent EP from one of my favourite up-coming artists, DreamReaper, based in Phoenix AZ. It is quite timely as he is now making noises about new music in the not-too-distant future and I was excited to read that he supported GosT's Arizona visit this year too. His latest EP was released earlier this year, and I’m glad I have finally set aside some time to check it out properly, it doesn't disappoint at all. Rather excellently he has released a couple of limited edition cassette versions which you can view at his bandcamp.

Astro Blaster EP

The Astro Blaster EP shows obvious evolution from his self-titled debut. The darksynth soundscapes here have more subtlety, relying less on wall-to-wall distorted riffing, but the aggression is still there when songs reach the peaks that require it as the tracks "Astro Blaster" and "Gridlock" prove.

One of the more noticeable progressions is the increased abundance of keyboard solos, which expand the dynamics and make the EP sound more organic than the debut's predominant speeding riffs. "Earthbound" is a good example of this with its relaxed pace and emotive pitch-bend solos at the end. Compared to the debut's grinding heaviness, "Lightspeeder" is one of his most up-beat creations yet, evoking '80s dancefloors with it's heavenly synths and occaisional slap bass hits.

This adventurous musicality imbues each track with more individual identity and in my opinion, any record really needs this variety between tracks to make it memorable as a whole, and keep you listening from start to end.

To sum up, this is just as good as the debut while being a clear development, it shows that DreamReaper is growing more confident to innovate and go in his own direction, so he's still one of the most exciting new names to watch out for.

Last year's Synthallica DreamReaper Interview

Links:
DreamReaper on:  [Bandcamp] - [SoundCloud] - [Facebook]
[DreamReapermusic.com]