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)
The Game
Diary of Dreams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when you fail to move
You face the pain within
Adrenaline will push you on
Have you seen my face before?
Have you dreamt of me?
Will you close your cloudy eyes?
You betray what you can’t defeat
My war against the end of time
This game is out of reach
In many ways you’re so much like me
Do you feel the clouds
moving into you?
Does it make much sense
to deny what your eyes can see
In the song The Game by Diary of Dreams, the lyrics suggest a narrative that one can withstand anything in the face of adversity with enough adrenaline. The opening lines convey a sense of urgency, pointing to the idea that inaction in a moment of difficulty, failure to move, or hesitate could be costly. The lyrics go on to describe a scenario where the singer asks if the person has seen him before or dreamt of him. The line "Will you close your cloudy eyes? Tell me now, tell me what you see" seems to suggest an invitation to look beyond outward appearances and explore what lies beneath.
As the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the lyrics contain elements of war and fighting against an enemy, possibly the idea of time itself. The line, "You betray what you can't defeat, My war against the end of time, This game is out of reach" conveys a sense of personal struggle and fighting a battle that may not be winnable. There is a hint of self-awareness and introspection in the lyrics that speaks to how much the singer sees himself in the listener.
The final lines pose a question, asking whether the listener can feel the clouds moving into them and whether it makes sense to deny what their eyes can see. Overall, the song is a powerful and introspective piece that invites the listener to reflect on their own struggles and what they can do to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
In the blink of an eye
Suddenly without warning
when you fail to move
When you stop moving forward
You face the pain within
Acknowledging your hidden emotional turmoil
Adrenaline will push you on
Epinephrine will encourage you to continue
Have you seen my face before?
Have we met previously?
Have you dreamt of me?
Have I appeared in your dreams?
Will you close your cloudy eyes?
Can you shut your eyes that are unclear?
Tell me now, tell me what you see
Describe your vision to me
You betray what you can’t defeat
You go against what you are not strong enough to conquer
My war against the end of time
My personal battle versus mortality
This game is out of reach
This competition is impossible to win
In many ways you’re so much like me
There are a lot of similarities between us
Do you feel the clouds
Can you sense the misty air
moving into you?
Surrounding and affecting you
Does it make much sense
Is it logical
to deny what your eyes can see
To reject what you have witnessed with your own eyes
Contributed by Adam L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.