Standing apart from their peers; who sound exactly like each other, DREAM EVIL’s invigorating take on power metal have always been refreshing, not to mention comedic. Intentionally un-serious up to this newest album, In The Night kicks off with swords swinging on the furious opener Immortal, which is about uh, immortal warriors riding to war. Not exactly the height of original-ness, that. Singer extraordinaire Nick Night even rolls his r's whenever he utters "Immorrr-tuhl forrr-ever" to evoke its faux majesty. Matters take a turn for the awesome on the slaying title track that's the album's nod to that earlier DREAM EVIL classic, The Book Of Heavy Metal. Like its predecessor, the song In The Night tackles the metal head ethos and explains our preference for leather. Oh, and chains.

Their cheese may be moldy by now, but DREAM EVIL are undaunted in their quest to make us cringe. Yet amidst all this humor one always hears the band's best assets: exquisite guitar play and a focus on catchy songs. Both virtues elevate this clichés laden opus above its genre peers. Unlike your average Helloween clones, the riffs here crunch like granola and the heavy stuff rumbles with the force of an avalanche (try Bang Your Head). On the flipside of this, expect rather juvenile lyrics most of the time. The worst examples are Electric, Frostbite, and the Dio-esque On The Wind. There's an obligatory power ballad too that can't be missed... and it hella sucks. The band sort themselves out on the album's latter half, igniting your speakers with such hilarious chest-thumping anthems as Kill, Burn, Be Evil and In The Fires Of The Sun. Nodding off in classic DREAM EVIL fashion, the band wrap with a catchy The Unchosen Ones. Get it? It’s a sequel to the The Book Of Heavy Metal's own Chosen Ones.

An enjoyable listen stuffed with the eternal heavy metal verities; DREAM EVIL's In The Night eventually comes off as a spoof of its genre. An asinine joy ride endowed with pomp and melody where a bunch of 30-year olds live their teenage rock star dreams. Excuse us Pat Power, Richie Rainbow, Danee Demon, Pete Pain, and Nick Night.