Band:	Diary Of Dreams
Album:	Moments Of Bloom
Style:	Darkwave
Release date:	1999

New Versions:
01. Cholymelan
02. False Affection, False Creation
03. End Of Flowers
04. Retaliation
05. But The Wind Was Stronger
06. Ex-ile
07. Methusalem
08. End(giftet?)
Unreleased:
09. Moments Of Bloom
10. Touch II
11. Reality Of Mine
12. Predictions

"Moments of Bloom" is a really interesting compilation. It contains 12 tracks, and new versions of 8 representative Diary of Dreams songs coming from their four official releases up to that time (two songs from every album), and four unreleased tracks. This release will give a clear view to everyone who wants to find out how Diary of Dreams sounds like, and it will also make the Diary of Dreams fans happier with 4 unreleased tracks. So this was a correct and fair decision by Adrian Hates' side.

The booklet for one more time, as always, is filled with the appropriate information. It contains the lyrics of the songs, the front covers of all the Diary of Dreams albums up to that time and their year of release. It also tells who participated in every song and some quotes for every album. This isn't the typical we-put-2-photos-and-the-titles-of-the-songs compilation. Adrian Hates seems perfect as always.

This compilation contains "Cholymelan" and "False Affection, False Creation" from "Cholymelan" (1994), "End of Flowers" and "Retaliation" from "End of Flowers" (1996), "But the Wind was Stronger" and "Ex-ile" from "Bird without Wings" (1997) and "Methusalem" and "End(Giftet)?" from "Psychoma?" (1998). All of them are representative Diary of Dreams songs and great compositions haunted by Adrian Hates' descriptive emotional voice, the astonishing sound of the guitars, the imposing rhythm section (drum/beat n' bass) and of course the ethereal dark/grieving aesthetic of the keyboards. The unreleased tracks are equally as good as the previous compositions. These songs have no weak points and we shouldn't underestimate them, but embrace them as other four Diary of Dreams masterpieces.

First comes the desperate "Moments of Bloom" with its devout dark atmosphere evoked by the keyboards and some electro effects and with Adrian singing in a descriptive way expressing in an appropriate manner his bleak lyrics.

Then follows "Touch II" with Adrian singing in an utterly melancholic way with his serene voice as the keyboards paint the soundscape with painful sounds, matching with Adrian's interpretation and lyrics.

"Reality of Mine" is the next composition and it sounds really great with fluid guitars, ethereal depressive atmosphere created by the keyboards, the cold bass guitar pulses and above all Adrian's vivid interpretation evoking an utterly sentimental atmosphere overrunning this composition.

Saving the best for last (in my opinion) is the 10-minute opus to the melancholy "Predictions". Intense guitar chords, wonderful piano-sounding synth pieces, an intense bleak atmosphere created by the keyboards and Adrian's wonderful interpretation singing with a trembling voice, expressing the depressive/chaotic lyrics in full passion haunt the listener.

By both sides and reviewed as a compilation this release gets...