What started as an underground success (3 000 copies sold of their self produced demo), is slowly becoming, after three studio albums with Metal Blade, a strong asset for the label.

Now that their old singer is gone (he was always the main issue with practically all reviewers around, besides me who was liking his kind of unique vocal tone), this new album marks another step into the career of JACOB’S DREAM. Well, let just say that even though the singer doesn’t always have anything to do with the sound of a band, this time around, it really feels like this is a different band. Bashers can tell what ever they want; JACOB’S DREAM’s old singer was a main key to the band, to their unique and original Thrash Metal.

Gone are the strange melodies of songs like “Sanctuary” on “Theatre Of War”, their latest album. What we get here is a kind of unoriginal Power Metal with a singer that tries to emulate Geoff Tate without any real conviction. The album sounds rushed and the songs uninspiring.

The sound may be good, the idea of throwing some Death Metal riffs and vocal lines are a try to sound different, but none is fooled here: JACOB’S DREAM has lost some of its uniqueness and it shows.

Let just hope they will find a way to return to what they were doing best in the past. (Online July 19, 2005)