original 1998 issue
LONG OUT OF PRINT - HARD TO FIND
Featuring:
- Outside The Window
- Speaking With The Dead
- Silver Brow
- Sea Horses
- Murias I
- Through The Gate
- Dream Within A Dream
- The Sirens' Song
- Steel Tomb
- Murias II
- Down From The Air
- Lorelei
REVIEWS:
MOJO Magazine (September 1999 issue) Homebrew Column/Review by Joe Cushley:
"Gates to the Sea" by Dreamchild is also deeply affecting. The ghost of Dead Can Dance is summoned up. Cheryl Wanner's keenings, laughter and odd intonations place her alongside Diamanda Galas as a vocal idiosyncratic. She's perfectly complimented by Frank Gerace's Frippian guitar. Intuitive music-making of a high order.
Perpetual Nightmare Magazine (July/August 1999 issue):
Moving with a natural ease through their songs, the dreamy duo of Dreamchild, Frank Gerace and Cheryl Wanner, captivate with their melodic and rhythmic sounds, spinning dark, glittering web strings around the fog-and-darkness atmostphere of their music. In a whirlwind of harp notes, beautiful lyrics,and the occasional descending of a few edgy guitar pieces, Dreamchild's CD "Gates to the Sea" is sure to measure up to higher expectations. Cheryl's vocals are similar to those of techno-pixie Bjork as they soar above the ambient orchestration (both modern and classical) of the penetrating, stormy sound of the music. But her voice is unique; it is heartbreakingly pure and dreamy, and at the same time, rich, strong and almost motherly, like that of a mystical goddess of the ocean mists and white shores that one might imagine while listening to Dreamchild. Children of dreams and nightmares alike will delight in listening to the twelve song release and its holistic, soothing yet still strong intricacies inside the skillfully performed songs.
"Gates to the Sea" starts off with "Outside the Window", containing an ocean of emotions expressed through music that falls and lifts itself gracefully, and singing that follows the same pattern with an equal amount of careful grace. "Speaking with the Dead" starts out with an eerily beautiful, near primal and slightly dreary but never dull landscape of sound, and fades into "Silver Brow", which, while indulging in a repeating chorus, has a stronger, more forceful feel than the previous track. It also has a few distant-sounding, slightly mournful guitar pieces falling over the surreal darkness of the other sounds. Next, "Seahorses" has an edgy beginning, and around thirteen seconds into the song there's a piece which might make a listener think of A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran", but it fades away rather suddenly and gives way to ethereal, almost chanted lyrics. Rather, it ends up sounding like meaningful prose set to the tune of that A Flock of Seagulls track reversed. Other interesting pieces of this work are "Steel Tomb", a tale told above rumbling guitars; Also, "Murias II" provides a rippling, blissful instrumental addition to the CD, and "Down from the Air" contains slightly distorted vocals in the beginning which sink into a feeling of utter dreaminess.
Dreamchild's release is most definitely worth a listen, especially for listeners who thirst for new, unique sounds. Those who appreciate the music of Vast and Madonna's "Ray of Light" era material will love the unique, ambient shadows and textures of "Gates to the Seas".
MORE REVIEWS:
"Dreamchild is...occasionally exotic and darkly experimental. Wanner's vocals are the central aspect of the music, often powerful and raw with emotion. In addition to her talents as a singer, you'll also hear her growl, scream and laugh at points, dramatically enhancing the lyrics and music itself - without taking the music over the proverbial top... I don't even know who I'd compare them to for reference, but that should be considered a positive comment." (OUTBURN MAGAZINE)
"This kicks serious gothic ambient ass!...Imagine Gitane (Christian Death) meets Diamanda Galas meets Enya and you have Dreamchild in a Renaissance-Gothic nutshell." (BAST MAGAZINE)
"The dreamy duo of Dreamchild captivate with their melodic and rhythmic sounds, spinning dark, glittering web strings around the fog and darkness atmosphere of their music. (Cheryl's) voice is unique; it is heartbreakingly pure and dreamy and at the same time rich and strong..." (PERPETUAL NIGHTMARE MAGAZINE)
"David Torn sitting in with Dead Can Dance? Two songs from the band Dreamchild, a collaboration between guitarist Frank Gerace and vocalist/bassist/harpist Cheryl Wanner, give a hint of what such a pairing might sound like." (GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE)
LA FEE VERTE PUBLISHING 1998
STAN DOBRY+