Factory of Dreams - Poles

Year of Release: 2008
Label: ProgRock Records
Catalog Number: PRR
Format: CD
Total Time: 47:06:00

Hugo Flores is a very busy man. As a musician he is exploring several musical directions. And besides that he is a very nice guy, attentive to others. He often adds comments to MySpace sites, sometimes just to wish people a good weekend. That shows he is interested in people.

This interest in people is also a key in his music. Although he speaks of Sonic Pulsar as a "band," after that he works with projects. This gives him the freedom to work with different people, people that he respects, appreciates as being good musicians, and people who fit the mood of the music. With Sonic Pulsar it was progressive/art rock. With Project Creation, he explored the progressive metal, a bit in the direction of rock operas. After two parts of the Project Creation trilogy, he takes a turn and started a new project: Factory of Dreams.

Factory of Dreams is a two person outfit: Flores himself on all other instruments and Jessica Lehto (Once There Was) on vocals. Ghost Circus' Chris Brown guests on fretless bass on one track. In this way, Flores presents a more basic approach on music. He wrote the tracks in a week and searched for a fitting singer.

The overall sound is less polished than I am used from Flores. Vocally, the first name that comes in my mind is Helena Iren Michealsen (Imperia), although not as overpowering. But this quickly puts the music in the Gothic corner. However, labeling the album is gothic metal would not do it justice! It has much more to offer. There are also a lot of electronic elements present.

As said, the sound is less polished, mainly due to the guitars, which then contrast nicely to the beautiful vocals of Jessica Lehto. Although she sings mainly in the higher regions, throughout the album she shows she can do much more with her voice.

It took me a few spins to fully appreciate the album, but I really enjoy it as a whole. As we are used from Flores, the album has a futuristic yet deeply emotional theme, which is voiced very well by Lehto. One of the highlights of the album is "The Piano In The Sea," with the soft keyboard play by Flores and the delicate vocals by Lehto. Too bad it is such a short song. "Electric Boom" is mainly instrumental and very electronic, but with a great contribution by Chris Brown on fretless bass and a killer guitar solo (a long one!) by Flores.

Looking back at not just Poles, but also his previous releases, I have to say Hugo Flores is a very underrated musician, who deserves a lot more attention. He is an excellent musician, as well as a very versatile one. And he is a great songwriter who has shown he is not tied into one genre, but can write all kinds of music.

Do not think that if you heard one album by Flores, you heard them all. Far from it! So listen to Poles with an open mind and let yourself be surprised by its simplicity and charm. You will enjoy it.

Tracklisting:
Transmission Fails (4:04) / The Sight Of A Better Universe (3:19) / Air Powerplant (5:48) / Factory Of Dreams (6:06) / Gliding Above The Ocean Of Memories (4:53) / Peace Echoing (4:08) / Stream Of Evil (3:01) / The Piano In The Sea (2:55) / Generator Of Illusions (3:52) / Electric Boom (4:27) / Crossing The Bridge To The Positive Pole (4:29)

Musicians:
Jessica Lehto - vocals
Hugo Flores - electric guitars, bass, synth bass, synthesizers, additional drum arrangements
Chris Brown - fretless bass (10)

Discography:
Sonic Pulsar - Playing The Universe (2002/2003)
Sonic Pulsar - Out Of Place (2005)
Project Creation - Floating World (2005)
Project Creation - Dawn On Pyther (2007)
Factory Of Dreams - Poles (2008)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin PT

Added: November 3rd 2008
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: hugofloresmusic.com
Hits: 5069
Language: english