Jacobs Dream: Jacobs Dream | A True Cult Classic
(2000 – Metal Blade/Nems Enterprises)
Looking back at the past, searching, digging deep, and not settling for what meets the eye at first glance is an arduous task, but remembering and rescuing those classic and cult albums from oblivion is part of the same process. In that sense, I personally have a rule of thumb: anything I’ve never heard before will always be something new to me—though it’s also worth adding that there’s no such thing as “old” music in Metal. Everything is always music, and sometimes it even seems that Heavy Metal is like fine wine: the older it is, the better it tastes.
All of that—and more—comes to mind when I revisit an old, cult-classic album, such as the debut album by Jacobs Dream, a great band that deserves far more recognition than they have—or ever had.
The band is currently inactive after releasing several albums, with their last release being “Sea Of Destiny” in 2017, in addition to having reissued part of their discography. Beyond Jacobs Dream’s current status, we set out to highlight what we consider to be their defining album—perhaps their most recognized work and the beginning of an entire chapter in Metal history.
The band traces its origins to around 1994, when they began as Iron Angel, later changing their name to Jacobs Dream. In 1996, they released a demo that made quite an impact at the time; subsequently, as the new century dawned, they released their first album—simply titled “Jacobs Dream”—through the well-known label Metal Blade Records.
On this album, the band didn’t simply transfer the demo to a full-length record. Quite the opposite—they opted for a completely new recording with new songs, retaining only two tracks from the original demo, which were re-recorded for the occasion.
An interesting aspect of Jacobs Dream is that, while the band is Christian in terms of the lyrical content of their songs, their message doesn’t seem to be the usual one; instead, the lyrics are intelligent, thought-provoking, and appeal to all tastes and perspectives. Positive lyrics? Maybe that’s the key. The important thing is that the songs included here are sufficiently diverse.
With this album, the band managed to capture everything they had accumulated throughout their journey in the ’90s. Going against what was becoming a trend in the world of Metal, Jacobs Dream opted for a classic formula—familiar yet brimming with virtuosity, melodies, heavy riffs, and an overall atmosphere that harkened back to the old, familiar US Power Metal, a variant of Power Metal distinct from the European style that dominated the Metal scene at the time.
Jacobs Dream’s main strength was presenting a different approach, rooted in the most traditional aspects of Heavy Metal—such as Iron Maiden—but with a clear influence from bands like Queenryche or Fates Warning, and a subtle progressive edge. The combination of all these factors, plus the band’s personal touch, gave them a unique sound that stood out among the thousands of bands that were simply following the musical trends dictated by the commercial market at the time.
Heavy, low-pitched, dense riffs, coupled with a powerful rhythm section, alongside melodies, textures, and harmonies that seemed to clash with one another but build in intensity as the song progresses—this is what we find in “Kinescope,” the first track that welcomes us to the album, and if we’re talking about fierce riffs, get ready for “Funanbulism,” which moves through shifting tempos with a more than intriguing melodic line and an intensity rivaled by few.
The third track is “Scape Goat,” a perfect blend of Jacobs Dream’s most progressive elements and the most aggressive aspects of hard-hitting Heavy Metal, leading into the dark and epic “Mad House of Cain,” in a clear display of vocal virtuosity by David Taylor, the band’s lead singer, who—combined with that guitar chord simply accompanied by the keyboard’s backing—manages to bring something unique to the album.
“Tale of Fears” has a sound much more rooted in the technical/progressive style, with a measured tempo and plenty of instrumental virtuosity, but with “Crusade” they return to speed and heavier riffs, yet handling the harmonic and melodic elements almost perfectly in a style reminiscent of Iron Maiden, with an interlude thrown in that works quite well—not bad at all.
With “Black Watch,” the Sabbath-esque vibe in the opening riffs is unmistakable, and the track builds to a crescendo at a frenetic pace. It’s hard to believe it’s just an instrumental—but one played at a hellish pace, with rapid guitar samples blasting in double time—and almost as if it were a continuation, “Love & Sorrow” appears, one of the album’s standout tracks, where Jacobs Dream delivers a polished example of straight-ahead Heavy Metal without holding back.
And if that’s not enough, wait until you hear “The Gathering,” another track that deserves far more than just being one of the album’s classics. It’s one of the shortest tracks on the album, which makes it much more direct and to the point, but it’s also quintessentially Jacobs Dream, combining pleasant melodies with heavy riffs—all without resorting to anything other than the guitars of John Berry and Gary Holtzman.
And it seems the best was saved for near the end, because “Never Surrender” has all the makings of an essential metal anthem—the kind that touches the spirit and the soul—with that epic, harmonic intensity that makes it the classic track from Jacobs Dream’s debut album, and I’d even go so far as to say from their entire discography.
And as the closing track, we have another gem: “The Bleeding Tree,” a mid-tempo number with those very Maiden-esque guitar arrangements, though with a slight lean toward the progressive, yet still fulfilling its purpose.
Our version of the album includes a bonus track taken from the demo that Jacobs Dream released in 1996, albeit with a slight name change; here it’s titled “Violent Truth,” whereas on the demo it was “The Violent Truth.” It was also re-recorded for this release, and this version is more in line with the album’s overall tone—a work that, to say the least, is impeccable.
If the 1996 demo was great, Jacobs Dream’s debut album was truly overwhelming. Yes, it’s true that it may have some flaws in terms of the monotony of the sound and certain aspects of the production itself, but there’s no denying that, compositionally, the album has many and varied gems that make it the band’s classic album.
Best of all, Jacobs Dream never took the easy path with the greatest chance of success at the time; instead, they always remained true to their love of traditional Metal, creating an album that’s worth listening to over and over again. The cohesion between tracks, along with the diverse moods they evoke, is a real strength, and the solid compositional structure gives this work a distinctive and fitting atmosphere.
The production of this debut album may fall a bit short in terms of overall sound, though generally speaking, a consistent tone is maintained across each of the tracks. It isn’t particularly impressive from the standpoint of mixing and mastering, but let’s just say it gets the job done.
The cover art isn’t very striking either; in our opinion, it’s actually the weakest of all, as it even looks like it was thrown together in a hurry—out of focus, etc. As for the CD version we own, we can’t say much more than that it also includes an inner sleeve with the lyrics and illustrations that follow the same style as the album cover, without even a single photograph of the band. A decent production, though limited from an artistic and graphic standpoint.
It’s possible that, even though 26 years have passed since its release, this debut album by Jacobs Dream still hasn’t achieved classic status. Perhaps if it had been released in the ’80s, it might have been more highly regarded, but at least for us, it always left the impression of being something different in an era when metal trends seemed to be heading in other directions.
In our opinion, the great songs on this album make it a classic. “Theater Of War” and “Drama Of The Ages” would follow, but that’s another story; it’s even possible that, production-wise, the band improved many aspects—both compositionally and in terms of overall sound—but the freshness of the tracks on this first album is unmatched.
The album was originally released by Metal Blade, and here in Argentina we had our national edition courtesy of the now-defunct label Nems Enterprises (which also released albums by Mortification and Tourniquet back in those days), but Jacobs Dream’s debut album was also released in various parts of the world, even on cassette. It wasn’t until 2024/2025 that the album was reissued, thanks to Retroactive Records, which—to commemorate the 25th anniversary—released a meticulously crafted CD and vinyl edition, making this album available once again—one that surprises and captivates more with every listen.
Could Jacobs Dream make a comeback someday? In this era of comebacks and nostalgia, might this be the moment for the band to return to the stage and once again perform the classics from this debut album—and why not the rest of their well-known repertoire—live? Let’s hope so, and in the meantime, here’s an excuse to revisit the genius of what was—and still is—Jacobs Dream’s first album….
