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)
Wahn!Sinn?
Diary of Dreams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
warum die Herrscher stets versagen
Alte Greise beten leise
Kein Mensch hält euren Krieg für weise
Revolution
Allein die gute Mutter zittert weil all ihr Wesen Unheil wittert
und draußen hört man Stimmen reden
verloren scheint der alte Segen
Es ist zu spät
Viel zu spät
Es ist zu spät
Viel zu spät
Es ist zu spät...
... um dir die Kraft zu schenken
... um sich erneut zu wehren
... um sich der Angst zu stellen
... um deinen Feind zu knechten
Dies sind die Früchte deines Zorns
Und wird ein Mensch die Hand erheben
um sich zu wehren, um zu leben?
Wird jemand schrei'n aus voller Kehle
bevor auch ihm man Freiheit stehle?
Revolution
The lyrics to Diary of Dream's song Wahn!Sinn are poetic and mysterious, using symbolic language to paint a picture of a society on the brink of collapse. The first verse speaks of rulers who always fail, and how even the wise and elderly cannot understand why. The second verse reflects on the fear and unease felt by ordinary people, as they hear voices of dissent and the old ways seem to be fading away. The chorus emphasizes the theme of missed opportunity, with repetition of the phrase "it's too late" to drive home the point that any chance for change has passed.
Despite the sense of despair in the lyrics, there is also a call to action in the final verse. The question is posed whether anyone will step up to fight for their freedom and resist those who would take it away. The word "Revolution" is used throughout the song as a shorthand for this idea of rising up against oppression, but the lyrics leave it somewhat open-ended as to what this revolution might look like.
Overall, the lyrics of Wahn!Sinn are thought-provoking and deeply emotive, urging the listener to consider the state of the world and what, if anything, can be done to change it.
Line by Line Meaning
Keine Zunft vermag zu sagen
No guild can say
warum die Herrscher stets versagen
why the rulers always fail
Alte Greise beten leise
Old gray haired men silently pray
Kein Mensch hält euren Krieg für weise
No one thinks your war is wise
Revolution
Revolution
Allein die gute Mutter zittert
Only the good mother trembles
weil all ihr Wesen Unheil wittert
because her whole being senses evil
und draußen hört man Stimmen reden
And outside one hears voices speak
verloren scheint der alte Segen
The old blessing seems lost
Es ist zu spät
It is too late
Viel zu spät
Much too late
Es ist zu spät
It is too late
Viel zu spät
Much too late
Es ist zu spät...
It is too late...
... um dir die Kraft zu schenken
...to give you strength
... um sich erneut zu wehren
...to resist again
... um sich der Angst zu stellen
...to face the fear
... um deinen Feind zu knechten
...to subdue your enemy
Dies sind die Früchte deines Zorns
These are the fruits of your anger
Und wird ein Mensch die Hand erheben
And if a person raises their hand
um sich zu wehren, um zu leben?
to defend themselves, to live?
Wird jemand schrei'n aus voller Kehle
Will someone scream out loudly
bevor auch ihm man Freiheit stehle?
before they too steal his freedom?
Revolution
Revolution
Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.