4 years passed since the release of the debut full length of this promising band. FERAL (re)started the flame after ENTOMBED came up with this type of music on their highly acclaimed “Wolverine Blues” album (in 2011 “Dragged To The Altar” was part of my end of the year Top 10 list due to that). After 3 years in silence the band announced they were still alive and kicking, signing with Cyclone Empire and ready to record their second album. I was very excited about this, was… When I first saw the cover of the album I was a bit disappointed, very different from what the band displayed in the past, but I thought it was fine as long as the music was good. Now, this is where everything falls apart. I don’t really know what’s going on with ENTRAILS, PUTERAEON, DEMONICAL, etc., they all released some great records when the old school Death Metal revival was on and hot during 2009 – 2012, but I think they completely lost the ball on their last efforts. I’m not saying they are all bad records by any means, but they sound like a one 1 way train, no dynamics and uninspired. Focusing on what FERAL did this time with “Where Dead Dreams Dwell” there are things to highlight, the musicianship is good (as usual), the songwriting is good (could be better, but it has its moments), the vocals and overall sound is good (classic distortion, classic vibe, why would you buy an old school Death Metal album if it wasn’t for that ?), but what kicks me back is the production. It sounds very polished (not CANNIBAL CORPSE polished, but you know what I mean) in a treble-ish and open way. The way the album ended up sounding makes me not want to listen it more than twice because it makes me feel saturated. It’s all over the top, pounding your skull and ears nonstop (which might sound good for the casual listener) but lacking the dynamics I was hoping for, thinking on what they achieved during their previous recordings. Like I said, I’m not saying it’s a bad record, just not what I was expecting after 4 years of absence. Maybe the next record will make them take a new turn and could be out in less time to check on what the band learned during the process. Check it out for yourselves at www.feral.se, www.facebook.com/feralswe, www.cyclone-empire.com