When they first appeared in the mid-'90s,
the Dreamside were a largely electronic duo of a multi-instrumentalist and a female singer, creating prog-influenced goth pop highly reminiscent of early
Dead Can Dance. A decade on, the Dutch band has expanded into a five-piece with a considerably harder and more guitar-oriented sound. As a result, new album
Spin Moon Magic is more than a little reminiscent of
Evanescence, if Amy Lee had been heavily influenced by
Cocteau Twins'
Liz Fraser. Vocalist
Kemi Vita doesn't reach the stratospheric heights of
Fraser's inimitable soprano, but she has very similar phrasing, particularly in those passages in which she's singing in her native tongue. Unfortunately,
Vita's voice, which has always been the band's strongest and most distinctive feature, is largely drowned out by the blaring combination of bombastic synths and heavy guitar riffs on most of these songs. The single "Open Your Eyes" manages a catchy chorus that vaguely recalls '80s alterna-goths like
Gene Loves Jezebel or
the Cult, but too much of the record sounds like by-the-numbers goth metal to be truly distinctive.