I have finally been to Gothenburg.
Of all the places I visited, Gothenburg was among my favorites. Cork, Limerick, Killarney, and Galway were all great to me, but outside of these locations of my ancient ancestry, Gothenburg was probably my favorite place I visited. The city was beautiful, I loved the zoological and botanical gardens in the massive city park. The bars were great, I found some great little rock and roll places to hang out and meet people. Ah, the people, they are always the best part of traveling, and the people of Gothenburg were beautiful (everyone already knows that Scandinavian people are beautiful), and they rocked, at least the ones I befriended. What a great place. What great people.
Hi Linus.
It is no surprise that Sweden’s second largest city would give us a great number of rock and metal bands. This is my clumsy way of introducing the band of the hour, Dream Evil.
Dream Evil, comes to us from Gothenburg. Started in 1999, when producer and rhythm guitarist Fredrik Nordstrom finally found others to share in his evil dream of a power metal band. A dream worth pursuing.
Perhaps appropriately, I have started listening to Dream Evil via their first album “Dragonslayer,” typically the beginning in the logical place to start. There is no denying that a dark fantasy theme is rife throughout Dream Evil’s music, and certainly in their debut album. The song of theirs that has captured my attention uppermost is “The Chosen Ones.”
“The Chosen Ones” rocks. It is the perfect example of what everyone wants a power metal song to be. Heavy, powerful, bad ass, awesome, fantastic, fantastical, and add your own adjectives as you will. It tells a story, about great warriors, perhaps knights, fighting in many battles and wars, slaying dragons, (as the album title demands) and raising their most noble leader to the seat of king.
“Heroes of the day, legends forever.”
This song would be a-typical, fantasy tropes, which I would never complain about, but Dream Evil lean so hard into the epic nature of their over-the-top tale, it becomes more. More of the same fantasy elements, only intensified to a most satisfying grand journey without end. Sometimes I ponder the lyrics and try to figure out if Nordstrom and his crew are referring to another piece of art telling such a story. I do not know, so like most people I project what I know onto “The Chosen Ones.”
In this complicated life, I have the habit of connecting dots that creatively may have had no influence on each other. It is fun trying to be anthropological with music and arts. And I read a lot. I read a lot of fantasy, and I have recently finished the first three novels in Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. It is this, that I project onto “The Chosen Ones.”
Early on in the first novel of the Stormlight Archive “The Way of Kings,” one of our protagonists, Dalinar, is described as “The Knight who never lied.” Dalinar was already my favorite character in the book, but this description locked it for me. I too, am a knight, who never lied; or at least the closest equivalent the human species can produce within our current zeitgeist. This is no boast, I mean, it is, but I say it with supreme confidence; I am a knight who never lied, and I would have done a lot of what Dalinar did in those books, should I have his talents and have found myself with his life. Including his dark terrible mistakes.
Barbarian and knight, Colin Kelly, King of Braves; I mean, High Prince Dalinar… no, I mean both.
We can avoid spoilers by having me tell you how Dalinar became a High Prince of Alethkar, since that takes place before the events of “The Way of Kings.” Dalinar’s older brother Gavilar, and his best friend Amaram, decide they are going to unite the ten princedoms of Alethkar, and rule them, in the great honour of what once was the Alethkar empire. And they succeed, with a lot of help from Gavilar’s younger brother Dalinar, who must be the greatest warrior to ever live. Dalinar is a barbarian throughout the conquest, but his heart gentles in time, and since the brute never lied about anything his whole life, and refuses to play the stupid game of politics, he is looked down on after the wars, but everyone respects and fears him. Despite his many flaws, Dalinar, virtue of honesty and courage is the only truly honourable person maybe in the whole damn world.
The point is this, Gavilar, Amaram, and our main man Dalinar, they made it happen.
“No more living in fear it’s time to raise our king,
We made it happen we’re the chosen ones.”
That’s where my brain goes when I hear the chorus. Dalinar helping his brother take over the ten princedoms of Alethkar. For me, and presumably only me, “The Chosen Ones” by Dream Evil is about Dalinar and his brother taking over Alethkar.
We all get different joys from the music we enjoy. Often, I like to dream, and let my imagination drift, when listening to power metal. Reminded of all the fantastic stories I have read and will read in time. Dream Evil has connected to me with that in a big way, and they have a bunch of albums I have not heard any songs from yet, so I got that to look forward too.
I just have to find more time to relax. I am not complaining though, the real world demands my attention sometimes, and while I like to visit fantasy worlds, there is no place I would rather live then reality. We got so much good music in the real world. Sweden, and Gothenburg, are in the real world, and I am a big fan.
Until next time,
Rock on Gothenburg.
Rock on Brandon Sanderson.
Rock on Dream Evil.
- King of Braves
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