Fredrik had the ambition of creating a band of his own for a long time, but was yet to find somebody with musical ideals similar to his. However, while on holiday on the Greek islands during the year of 1999, he met guitarist Gus G (from Firewind and Mystic Prophecy). The two musicians got along quite well, despite their age difference of over a decade. Plans for Dream Evil commenced, and shortly, Gus boarded a plane to Gothenburg, on which he and Fredrik began writing material for the band.
In order for Dream Evil to become the band that they were idealizing, it would need to have musicians of exceptional talent. The person who first came to their minds was Snowy Shaw (from King Diamond, Mercyful Fate and Notre Dame), but the drummer initially refused their invitation. Later on he changed his mind and agreed to play on the band's debut album.
Vocalist Niklas Isfeldt had done backing vocals for some of HammerFall's songs produced by Fredrik, and since Isfeldt was not involved in any major project at the time, it was decided that he was a good choice for Dream Evil. Niklas had shown a lot of promise in his test, and it was soon decided that he would become a definitive part of the band. He also brought along his friend Peter Stålfors, who assumed the bass.
The fact remains that, up until the moment the promotional photos were shot, the whole of the band had not been in the same place at the same time even once. Some members did not even know each other.
The band soon got a deal with Century Media Records, and intended to name themselves Dragonslayer due to the themes of the songs which had been written by Gus and Fredrik, which had a strong focus on medieval and fantastical themes. However, their label did not find the name original enough, and thus the band settled with the name Dream Evil, inspired by the title of Dio's album Dream Evil.
Dream Evil's debut album was released on April of 2002 and received positive feedback from the specialized press. At one point, the album — entitled Dragonslayer — reached number one on the Japanese import charts. The band proceeded to play a series of festivals and also supported Blind Guardian during part of their world tour.
The members of Dream Evil got along well despite the seemingly random manner by which they had been brought together. Snowy Shaw then joined the band permanently and Dream Evil went on their first Japanese tour. During their stay in Japan the band was invited by HammerFall to support their 2003 European tour. Their label manager hinted that it would be a good idea to have a new album out by then.
With little time on their hands, the band wrote the basis of most songs on the flight to Europe and on the day of their arrival entered the studio in order to record a new album. They took two weeks in total to record Evilised and most songs were recorded as they were written. It was released on the 20th of January, and one week later Dream Evil proceeded to tour Europe with HammerFall and the less known Masterplan.
In June of the same year the band returned for a second Japanese tour and Gus G was featured on the cover of Young Guitar Magazine, a magazine well respected by musicians from around the globe. During the promotional tour of their next single, Gus was already committed to playing with Mystic Prophecy. Thus, Snowy Shawn took upon his hands the task of playing the lead guitar sections of the Dream Evil songs.
For their third album the band actually took time to write the songs and fine-tune them in the studio. The Book of Heavy Metal took two months to be recorded and was released in May of 2004.
Guitarist Gus G left the band in late 2004 in order to dedicate more time to Firewind, being replaced by Markus Black (also known as Mark U Black).
Niklas Isfeldt and Peter Stålfors briefly left in 2005 to be replaced by Jake E. Berg (aka Jake Steel, of Dreamland) and Tommy Larsson, but returned before recordings or live shows were done. At the start of 2006, Snowy Shaw abruptly quit Dream Evil.
After a half year of silence, Dream Evil published a statement on their homepage and announced that they had a new drummer, whose name was Pat Power (aka Patrik Jerksten) and that they had recorded 18 new songs. The 18 said songs where released on the album United on October 13, 2006.
On August 13, 2007, the band posted news on their official website concerning an upcoming release, titled Gold Medal in Metal, which would contain some tracks previously released only in Japan as bonus tracks and some new recordings, as well as a DVD containing a live performance from November 25, 2006 in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is tentatively set to be released in November or December of 2007.
Crusaders
Dream Evil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With blood on his hands
Pretending he's god
With a mind of his own
Built a tower of stone
To reach for the sky
Is it true what they say
This tyrant must go
Burn down Jerusalem
Light up and carpe diem
Hurry now we can't let them win
Burn down Jerusalem
The home of evil men
It must burn and be cleansed from all sin
He can whip up a wind
He can play with your mind
With a gesture so faint
No more whispering campaign
Everywhere on the walls
This devil we paint
See the people in chains
See them suffer in pain
Through the hot desert sand
Burn down Jerusalem
My wish is your command
I'm the king of the desert sand
Burn down Jerusalem
This god forsaken land
It must burn and be cleansed from sin
He's evil at heart - so stay away
And now you've been warned. The tyrant must die
The lyrics to Dream Evil's "Crusaders' Anthem" present a strong and passionate message against tyranny and oppression. The opening lines question the very essence of a man who murders, yet still holds himself in the position of God with an erratic mind of his own. The song then goes on to describe the towering ambition of this tyrant, but in a mocking tone, indicating that this leader's insatiable thirst for power and dominance is far from admirable.
The song then calls for action, urging the listener to join in and defeat this tyrant by burning down the ancient city of Jerusalem which the song portrays as a home to evil men who need to be destroyed to safeguard the world from their tyranny. The song portrays the people of Jerusalem as being in chains and suffering in pain, highlighting the need to cleanse the land of sin to pave the way for a better future. Overall, the song is a call to arms against tyranny and oppression, and encourages everyone to join forces in fighting for a just world.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me who is that man
Who is the man with blood on his hands pretending to be god and having a mind of his own?
With blood on his hands
He has killed many people before.
Pretending he's god
He is trying to act like he is all powerful and can control everything.
With a mind of his own
He does not care about what other people do or say and will do what he wants.
Built a tower of stone
He made a tower out of stone to symbolize his power and strength.
To reach for the sky
He wants to seem as powerful as a god and to reach as high as possible to show this.
Is it true what they say
Are the rumors and stories about him true?
All the things that they do
All of his cruel and unjust actions.
This tyrant must go
This cruel and oppressive ruler must be overthrown.
Burn down Jerusalem
Destroy the holy city of Jerusalem.
Light up and carpe diem
Attack with full force and make the most of the opportunity.
Hurry now we can't let them win
Quickly attack before the enemy has a chance to defeat us.
The home of evil men
Jerusalem has been taken over by a group of evil men.
It must burn and be cleansed from all sin
Jerusalem must be destroyed to wipe out all of the evil and sin within.
He can whip up a wind
He has the power to create chaos and destruction.
He can play with your mind
He has the ability to manipulate and control your thoughts and actions.
With a gesture so faint
He can control things with a simple movement.
No more whispering campaign
He has stopped people from talking about him behind his back.
Everywhere on the walls
His name and symbol are everywhere to show his power and strength.
This devil we paint
We depict him as an evil and cruel person.
See the people in chains
The citizens are oppressed and unable to live freely.
See them suffer in pain
The people are experiencing great agony and torment.
Through the hot desert sand
The people are struggling to survive in the desert.
My wish is your command
Do what I say and follow my command.
I'm the king of the desert sand
I have the power and control in this area.
This god forsaken land
This land has been abandoned by God and is full of sin and evil.
It must burn and be cleansed from sin
The land must be destroyed to wipe out all of the evil and sin within.
He's evil at heart - so stay away
His heart is filled with malice and cruelty, so it is best to avoid him.
And now you've been warned. The tyrant must die
You have been told the truth, and this cruel ruler must be overthrown and stopped.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind