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)

The Witching Hour
Diary of Dreams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My total reception
Of unknown disasters
My complete redemption
Define the state of war

A trip to my conscience
My pain made of slander
My guilt in denial

Cause anger with fear
Revenge with devotion
Witchcraft remorse
The last refugee
Who pays the reward?

Encountered danger
Intrigues of a friend
Defeat for a stranger
Mankind kills as one
My haunted desires
Infamous liars
This intoxication
Will kiss you goodnight

I lost my temper
This is my terror zone

I lost my temper
The 11th hour

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Diary of Dreams's song "The Witching Hour" is a portrayal of an inner turmoil of an individual who is struggling with facing the unknown disasters that they have encountered. The lyrics paint a picture of complete redemption and define the state of war that the individual perceives themselves in. The opening lines, "My total reception of unknown disasters, My complete redemption define the state of war" describes how the individual feels about their current situation.

The lyrics continue to describe the individual's journey towards overcoming their problems. The lines "A trip to my conscience, My pain made of slander, My guilt in denial, Cause anger with fear", describes how the individual is battling their own guilt and fear. The lines "Revenge with devotion, Witchcraft remorse, The last refugee, Who pays the reward?" highlights the individual's struggles with seeking revenge, feelings of remorse and the eventual question of whether it was all worth it in the end.

The song also touches on themes such as interpersonal relationships and how they can be deceitful, mentioning "Encountered danger, Intrigues of a friend, Defeat for a stranger". The song's melancholic tone and emotive lyrics provide a gripping portrayal of an individual's mental turmoil.

Line by Line Meaning

My total reception
My complete understanding

Of unknown disasters
Of things that bring destruction but remain a mystery

My complete redemption
My absolute salvation

Define the state of war
Explain the nature of conflict

A trip to my conscience
A journey into my moral center

My pain made of slander
The hurt caused by false accusations

My guilt in denial
My refusal to accept responsibility

Cause anger with fear
Bring on rage through terror

Revenge with devotion
Vengeance fueled by loyalty

Witchcraft remorse
Regret for practicing dark magic

The last refugee
The final person seeking asylum