| Dream Unending’s 2021 debut, Tide Turns Eternal, marked a striking leap in musical ambition for Derrick Vella (Tomb Mold) and Justin DeTore (Innumerable Forms, Sumerlands). While rooted in Death/Doom, the album stood apart for its expansive vision and progressive leanings, distancing itself from the more rigid confines of the genre.
Now, just a year later, the duo returns with the stunning Song of Salvation—an even more ambitious and exploratory work that allows their artistic vision to soar. The 14-minute title track opens the album like a sunrise over calm waters, gradually building into a lush, ethereal storm of heaviness. Its momentum never falters into repetition, instead flowing forward with purpose—constantly unveiling new vistas like a river winding toward its source.
“Secret Grief” evokes the quiet loneliness of gazing at city lights from a darkened room. Featuring guest performances by vocalist Phil Swanson and Leila Abdul-Rauf on trumpet, the track deepens the emotional and sonic palette, enhancing the album’s sweeping narrative arc. The brief interlude “Murmur of Voices” serves as a moment of calm before yielding to “Unrequited,” which begins with a solitary guitar and drifts into a hypnotic reverie—evocative of subconscious meditation in the still of an afternoon.
The album concludes with the 16-minute epic “Ecstatic Reign,” showcasing some of its most crushingly heavy Doom passages. Returning guest vocalists McKenna Rae and Richard Poe—also featured on Tide Turns Eternal—lend additional depth, while Tomb Mold drummer and vocalist Max Klebanoff joins DeTore for a powerful vocal tradeoff.
Cinematic in scope and rich in vibrant detail, Song of Salvation represents the peak of Dream Unending’s vision to date. Only a year removed from their debut, the band has not only evolved but redefined the boundaries of Death/Doom. With Song of Salvation, they offer a transcendent and deeply personal journey—one that refuses to be confined by genre conventions.
|
