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.
Let Me Out
Dream Evil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Master, I gave you full control
Now I changed my mind
I want to be free
Judas, he had something to sell
Still you did send him straight to hell
You just made him burn
Why don't you listen to me?
Show me the door, give me the key
Unchain my soul
Please set me free
(Let me out)
Out of this prison
(Scream and shout)
Somebody listen to what I have to say
To free my mind
(Let me out)
I have a vision
(Scream and shout)
Impossible mission
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
Darkness and hate took over me
I live my life in misery
Sold my soul too cheap
Please give it back
Find it before it is too late
Give me the key to my escape
I am not the one, please let me go
Once more I'm being blessed
My horrifying days has passed
Now I am free to live my life
(Let me out)
Out of this prison
(Scream and shout)
Somebody listen to what I have to say
To free my mind
(Let me out)
I have a vision
(Scream and shout)
Impossible mission
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
Now I'm back to where I started
Fresh as one can be
I am just as broken hearted
As the man I used to be
Do I really want this weakness?
Do I really want this pain?
Want to live my life in success
So I sold my soul again
(Let me out)
Out of this prison
(Scream and shout)
Somebody listen to what I have to say
To free my mind
(Let me out)
I have a vision
(Scream and shout)
Impossible mission
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
The lyrics to Dream Evil's Let Me Out convey a sense of frustration, entrapment, and desire for freedom. The song seems to be addressed to Satan, as the singer feels that he has made a Faustian bargain by giving his soul to the devil in exchange for something he ultimately regrets. The repeated plea to "let me out" captures the singer's desperation to escape from his pact with Satan and start anew. There is a sense of betrayal in the reference to Judas, who was also deceived and abandoned by the powers he had conspired with. The singer compares his own situation to that of Judas, who was sent to hell by Satan after fulfilling his end of the bargain. He expresses a desire for a fresh start, to be free from the darkness and misery that have taken over his life.
The chorus highlights the singer's plea for liberation: "Let me out, out of this prison, scream and shout, somebody listen to what I have to say, to free my mind." The repetition of "let me out" echoes the plea to be released from a state of confinement or oppression. In contrast, the verse talks of a struggle for redemption: "Now I'm back to where I started, fresh as one can be, I am just as broken-hearted, as the man I used to be." The cyclic nature of this struggle reinforces the theme of the song as a cry for freedom from a self-inflicted prison.
Line by Line Meaning
Satan, I promised you my soul
I made a promise to give up my soul to Satan.
Master, I gave you full control
I relinquished control over my life to Satan as his loyal subject.
Now I changed my mind
I have had a change of heart and no longer wish to give up my soul to Satan.
I want to be free
I desire freedom from the bondage of Satan.
Judas, he had something to sell
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver.
Still you did send him straight to hell
Satan punished Judas despite him carrying out his will to betray Jesus Christ.
You just made him burn
Satan caused agony and suffering to Judas in hell.
Nothing in return
Satan did not reward Judas as promised.
Why don't you listen to me?
Asking Satan to hear and take notice of my request.
Show me the door, give me the key
Provide a way for me to escape Satan's grasp and gain my freedom.
Unchain my soul
Remove the chains that bind my soul to Satan's service.
Please set me free
Requesting to be liberated from the captivity of Satan.
(Let me out) Out of this prison
I feel trapped in a malevolent and oppressive scenario and implore to be freed.
(Scream and shout) Somebody listen to what I have to say
I am calling for someone to hear my plea for help and understand my situation.
To free my mind
I desire to be free of Satan's control and mental influence.
(Let me out) I have a vision
I possess an aspiration in life I can't reach while restricted by Satan.
(Scream and shout) Impossible mission
I am struggling to obtain my vision of life, and it seems untenable due to Satan's control over my soul.
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
I desire to undo my pact with Satan and restore my soul to its original state.
Darkness and hate took over me
Satan's negative influence has taken hold of me and clouded my mind in darkness and hatred.
I live my life in misery
Due to Satan's control over me, I exist in a state of woe.
Sold my soul too cheap
I gave up my soul for very little, only to realize that the consequences are far greater than the reward.
Please give it back
I am pleading for the return of my soul and freedom from the devil.
Find it before it is too late
I'm warning about the urgency of finding my soul before it is lost completely to the power of evil.
Give me the key to my escape
Provide me with the necessary means to escape from Satan's control.
I am not the one, please let me go
I am not the one meant to serve Satan, and I am asking to be set free.
Once more I'm being blessed
I am being given a second chance to do things right and live my life to its fullest potential.
My horrifying days has passed
I am free from the demon's control and no longer consumed by darkness and hate.
Now I am free to live my life
I am finally able to live my life on my terms and in freedom.
Now I'm back to where I started
I am back to where I was before giving up my soul to Satan.
Fresh as one can be
I feel renewed and refreshed, having been liberated from Satan's control.
As the man I used to be
I am restored to my former self and no longer under Satan's influence.
Do I really want this weakness?
I am questioning whether to give into temptation and give away my soul to Satan once more.
Do I really want this pain?
I am pondering the consequences of my actions and whether the pain and agony that come with serving Satan are worth the rewards.
Want to live my life in success
I desire to live a happy and fulfilled life with success, but I am tempted to take shortcuts to achieve it.
So I sold my soul again
I have given in to temptation and made the same mistake of selling my soul to Satan once more.
Impossible mission
My desire for success seems unattainable due to the repercussions of my actions.
To clear my soul, let go and press rewind
I desire to undo my pact with Satan and restore my soul once again, like pressing rewind on a tape.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREAS ALKMAN, PATRIK JERKSTEN, HENRIK LONN, JOCKE LUNDGREN, FREDIK NORDSTROM, KENT SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind