Diary of Dreams is a darkwave project from Düsseldorf, Germany. The lead si… Read Full Bio ↴Diary of Dreams is a darkwave project from Düsseldorf, Germany. The lead singer and founding member Adrian Hates has produced most of the albums by himself or with minimal help from others. He rarely uses a full band, except when he is on tour.

Adrian Hates was originally a classically trained guitarist and pianist, and subsequently bassist of Garden of Delight. He initiated the Diary of Dreams project in the late 1980s, taking the name from one of his early classical guitar compositions, 'Tagebuch der Träume'. The first album, 'Cholymelan', appeared in 1994 on the Dion Fortune label.

Encouraged by this success, Adrian formed his own label Accession and released a string of albums over the following years, building a loyal fanbase each step of the way. The second album 'End of Flowers' was released in 1996, expanding on the darkwave sound of the debut. 'Bird Without Wings' followed a year later, whilst the more experimental work 'Psychoma?' arrived in 1998.

The first sign of consolidation came in 1999, when a compilation album 'Moments of Bloom' appeared, containing two reworked tracks from each album. The next two albums 'One of 18 Angels' and 'Freak Perfume' (plus its companion EP 'PaniK Manifesto') made greater use of electronic rhythms, resulting in greater club play and wider recognition for the band.

Their 2004 'Nigredo' (a concept album inspired by a mythology the band designed themselves) saw a move back towards the more subtle, sparse concepts of old, but still featuring bursts of their more recent, dance-oriented sound. Songs from the Nigredo tour were later released on the live CD 'aLive' and the companion DVD 'Nine In Numbers'. The next Diary of Dreams album 'Nekrolog 43' was released in 2007, offering a greater variety of moods and concepts than previous works. Adrian Hates claims to be influenced, both lyric wise and artwork wise, by the German 1909-1935 expressionism and the "beauty of ugliness" in the course of his work.

The ninth album entitled "(if)" was released on March 13, 2009.

Discography

Albums

* Cholymelan (1994) – re-released in 1999 with four bonus tracks
* End of Flowers (1996)
* Bird Without Wings (1997)
* Psychoma (1998)
* Moments of Bloom (1999)
* One of 18 Angels (2000)
* Freak perfume (2002)
* Dream Collector (2003) (originally a limited South African compilation - later given wider release)
* Nigredo (2004)
* Alive (2005) – live album
* Nekrolog 43 (2007)
* (if) (2009)
* Ego:X (2011)
* Dream Collector II (2012)
* the Anatomy of Silence (2012) - acoustic album
* Elegies in Darkness (2014)
* Grau im Licht (2015)
* reLive (2016)
* hell in Eden (2017)

Singles and EPs

* O' Brother Sleep (2001)
* AmoK (2002)
* PaniK Manifesto (2002) – EP/mini-album
* Giftraum (2004)
* Menschfeind (2005) – EP/mini-album
* The Plague (2007)
* King of Nowhere (2009)

DVDs

* Nine in Numbers (2006)

Darker
Diary of Dreams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm bursting all your bubbles
I'm cold while you deceive
I don't care 'bout your troubles
I pray to get some sleep

Define the state of matter
Declare your eyes the war
You should have known it better

but still you wanted more

Mystical, not physical
Is there faith enough for all these souls
Hysterical, not logical
Is there room enough for all their shells?

Pale forces in fake environment
and biblical speeches so full of regret

Strange voices so full of agony
It sounds like it reaches deep into my head

Suffocate, deliberate
It is within, it is without
Gestures, eyes and invocations
It hides somewhere,
waiting - for he is yet to come

I begged for answers all my life!
Is it true crime to say the truth?

This world is darker

This life is darker
Darker than before.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Diary of Dreams' song "Darker" seem to revolve around the theme of disillusionment and disappointment with the world and people around us. The first two lines, "I'm bursting all your bubbles, I'm cold while you deceive," suggest that the singer is no longer willing to indulge in the illusions or deceptions of others. The following line, "I don't care 'bout your troubles," seems to reinforce this idea - the singer has become apathetic towards the problems of those around them, perhaps due to repeated experiences of unfulfilled promises or lies.

The next set of lyrics, "Define the state of matter, Declare your eyes the war, You should have known it better, but still you wanted more," are a bit more difficult to interpret. It seems that the singer is demanding honesty and perhaps some sort of confrontation or acknowledgement from someone ("Declare your eyes the war"), but also suggesting that this person should have known better than to deceive them ("You should have known it better").

The chorus of the song brings up questions about faith and whether there is enough room for all of us in this world. The description of "pale forces in fake environment" and "biblical speeches so full of regret" suggests a disillusionment with organized religion or perhaps with the idea of societal norms and expectations. The final line of the chorus, "It sounds like it reaches deep into my head," again reinforces the idea of the singer feeling overwhelmed by the problems and illusions of the world around them.

The final section of the lyrics seems to suggest a resignation to the darkness and difficulties of life: "Suffocate, deliberate, It is within, it is without, Gestures, eyes and invocations, It hides somewhere, waiting - for he is yet to come. I begged for answers all my life! Is it true crime to say the truth?" The singer seems to be acknowledging that darkness and pain are inherent in life, and that they have been searching for answers their whole life without success. The final line, "This world is darker, This life is darker, Darker than before," brings the song full circle back to its main theme of disillusionment and disappointment.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm bursting all your bubbles
I am shattering your illusions and false beliefs

I'm cold while you deceive
I am emotionally detached while you lie

I don't care 'bout your troubles
I am indifferent to your problems

I pray to get some sleep
I am hoping for some rest and peace

Define the state of matter
Explain the nature of existence

Declare your eyes the war
Announce your struggle and inner conflict

You should have known it better
You ought to have realized the truth

but still you wanted more
But you were still seeking something more

Mystical, not physical
Beyond the material realm, spiritual

Is there faith enough for all these souls
Is there enough belief and spirituality for everyone

Hysterical, not logical
Emotional, irrational