Review of the Album "Labyrinth of Dreams" by Dutch Progressive Metal Band Elegy

"Labyrinth of Dreams" is the debut album released by Dutch progressive metal band Elegy in 1993. Let’s just say that it is not as good as their 3^rd album called Lost but it still is an enjoyable listen in the progressive metal genre. Starting off this album is the song called The Grand Change. Some people have this misconception that money is the end all be all of life on this Earth but money cannot prevent what will eventually happen to all humans that inhabit this Earth. This is our chance to become who we are. I was a writer by profession and still am on a part time basis and this album review of Elegy may help put things in perspective.

Lyrically, the album addresses the concept of love and relationships. This is no surprise here since so many heavy metal bands address these concepts that they seem to be overdone. Nonetheless, the next two songs are two of the strongest songs in this album that is now over 30 years old.

I’m No Fool is a love song about not taking any nonsense from someone that is pursuing us for a relationship. Sometimes if we wait too long to make the next move, we will lose out on the opportunity for love. There are also times where one of the partners leads the other person on only to take advantage of them later. Take My Love is a love song about someone that takes a chance at love but it does not work out for him. He wants to have his love taken from him because he has had enough time trying to get love only to fail at it. Who would want love to be taken from them? The song is a sort of philosophical approach describing a person that may be tired of wanting to seek love at some personal level. The first two lines before the chorus set the tone before the catchy chorus when Eduard Hovinga says: “But when the sound of a broken heart fades into early morning roar….” (Elegy, 1993).

Trouble in Paradise is a song about a woman walking down a street totally confused about the direction her life should go in. What a beautiful message there is in this song as we write this a few days before 2018 becomes a reality. If someone like that is lost build that bridge to love and shower them with it. No matter how bleak our lives seem at some moments, there will always be the angels that will come and guide us through the right path. Over and Out is once again another love song and this one is about the time when a person remembers about another person that walked into their life and swept them off their feet. However, as time goes by sometimes we realize that the other person is out of our league and so we end that relationship even when they still pursue us. Labyrinth of Dreams is a song about someone that has much trouble coping with lost love. His lover has passed away and he is very upset. There is no one around him to wipe away his tears. He has recurring dreams where he sees her and she wants him to come back to her. If he could somehow turn back time and reverse her death, he would come running back to her in an instant. Mass Hysteria is the second of two instrumental songs on this album and it is very classically influenced in nature.

The Guiding Light is a very fast song sounding more like a power metal song than anything else. Sometimes when we meet someone that turns us on, we think that they are perfect person for us. AS time goes by, that person ends up cheating us out of lots of money and/or betraying us and we are left with a loss of money and a broken heart. The song is just okay in spite of the speed. Labyrinth of Dreams has very good lead guitar parts and several good songs however it still is not as good of an album as the one called Lost.

Final score: a very respectable 80 out of 100 points.

Reference

Elegy (1993). Take My Love [Recorded by E. Hovinga]. Eindhoven, Netherlands.