Hoyland – Dreams Within A Dream

Written by: Asche
Artist: Hoyland 
Title: Dreams Within A Dream
Label: Mirkwood Productions
Catalogue: MP001
Genre: Dark Ambient /Neo-Classical/Experimental/Ambient
Tracklisting:

01. Celestial
02. Journeyman
03. Dreams Within A Dream
04. Season Of The Fall
05. Cthulhu Rising (Mastered Demo)

Where to begin? Those who are familiar with this one-man project from Norway know what to expect immediately. BEAUTY. Plain and simple…the epitome of this small genre. His works hearken back to the days of vast forests, unspoiled lands, and the ethereal nature of an unspoiled sky.

This EP marks the “halfway point” in the journey that is Hoyland. His debut, “Dance of the Twilight Stars” released on Quartier23 in 2010. Soon, the birth of the second full-length “Upon the Mountain Vastlands” will coincide with the new year 2012. In the meantime, a quiet album took shape. The “Dreams Within A Dream” EP takes the best of both works. The structures from both are represented vividly here. Aftertouch is supremely important to this project, and subtle nuance is no exception! Each individual song is crafted superbly, and each work fills it’s space, as well as adding delightfully to the overall feel of the others.

The use of almost entirely native-type instruments blend well with the overall feel of the completed work. On tracks such as “Journeyman” and “Season of the Fall”, the quiet build of string arrangements highlight the encompassing feel and fantasy-like aspect of the EP. Fans of Arcana, Dead Can Dance, early Mortiis, and Venefica will not be disappointed! If I had a favorite, it would most certainly be “Celestial”. I have a thing for choirs, and this track is packed full of them. The tune, while simple enough, evokes a higher beauty, and is easily replayed several times over, before moving on.

All in all, a wonderful, well-crafted album, showing even more promise for an already promising project!

Rating:: 5/5