Shortly after the band put their point over live to the public, as support to bands such as Depressive Age and Waltari, and took the opportunity of underlining their unusual talent. In the mid-90s the band signed for the Berlin record company Noise Records, who were known in the eighties as being the label of such German metal giants as Helloween and Gamma Ray.
Their debut album, Symbiosis, recorded in the T&T-Studios in Gelsenkirchen and produced by John McGowan (Headhunter etc.), was released in Spring 1995 and was warmly greeted by the press. "With this homogenous, deep and convincing CD debut, Poverty's No Crime have more fulfilled their inherent promise and have formed a solid foundation for their future", praised ROCK HARD, one of Germany's two mega-metal-mags.
The combo then began preparation for The Autumn Years. Spring 1996 saw the release of their second album and once again the review pages of the metal press glowed with praise. This time, the ROCK HARD reviewer named the CD his Album of the month, whilst EMP, in their catalogue-mag raved, "Proggers of all shapes, color and sizes simply must buy the album of this absolutely unique band".
The Autumn Years was received with positive reactions not only in Germany, but also abroad. BURRN, Japan's Heavy Metal-Bible, gave the album 88 out of 100 points and readers voted the Germany into the Top 20 of the Album Charts.
The album had scarcely been released than the musicians - despite a distinct lack of suitable financial support from their record company - went on tour with Victory and followed this up with a special guest slot on the Virgin Steele/Angra-Tour which covered half of the European continent in 1996. Tremendous praise was showered on the band following their live performances in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Switzerland. Despite all this, Noise Records surprisingly ended their relationship with the band, yet the lads were more determined than ever before and gave more live shows, one of them with Skyclad.
After a generous break to consolidate their ranks, the five musicians continued to follow their dream and, from January 1997, began writing songs for a new album. Poverty's No Crime found a new business (and ideological) home at Inside Out Music, currently Germany`s most important Prog-Metal label, who also have such great bands as Spock`s Beard, Symphony X, Vanden Plas, Platypus, Enchant and Eldritch under their contractual wing. Inside Out Music are known of signing only a certain, carefully and selected contingent of bands, whom they know they can support with great enthusiasm. In view of this, the liaison between Poverty's No Crime and Inside Out Music seems to be under a lucky star.
Reviewing Slave to the Mind, the first result of this hopeful relationship, "(Hardrock & Metal) Hammer", Germany's Nr. 1 rock music magazine wrote in their August '99 edition, "This is what makes progmetal enjoyable - no long egoistic solos, no disturbing breaks, no endless I-love-me arias, but just - despite opulent decoration - straight arrangements, memorable hooks and melodic choruses... Some of the material remind me of the glorious Marillion days ("Wind And Light"), some of early Fates Warning ("The Senses Go Blind"), and yet Slave to the Mind never loses its own individual touch. A great album from a great band!"
In the late 1999 Poverty's No Crime faced the first major line-up change when Marcello Maniscalco on the keyboards and bass player Christian Scheele left the band for other projects. Unimpressed by this loss, new material was written just by the remaining three musicians. However, just before entering the studio for the recordings of One in a Million the right guy for the vacant position behind the keyboards was found: Jörg Springub proved his perfect fit for the band with an impressing performance on the record.
One in a Million was released in June 2001 and once again the international music press showed remarkably positive reactions. Right after the album-release bass player Heiko Spaarmann completed the line up and the combo played some successful shows together with bands like Vanden Plas, Zero Hour, Pain of Salvation and Anathema.
Two years have passed since then and Poverty's No Crime took a deep breath of fresh creativity. Again they spent two month at the Soundgarten Studio and the result will hit the record stores this fall. In the end of October The Chemical ChaosTHE CHEMICAL CHAOS, the bands' fifth record will be released in Europe as well as in North America via Inside Out Music. Initial plans for a tour are already in motion, whilst winter 2003 will see the band on stage at various shows. So let's hope that the poverty in the combo's name will soon become artistic fortune.
Just A Dream
Poverty's No Crime Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I looked into a fairytale, a place of pleasure
The child inside me still hungry for the day
A late encounter - I foresee the memories that will appear
I can't believe it's over
I can't believe it's just a dream
You have to learn to be a man
I'm damned to be much older than I feel
And realize the childhood that I leave
Out of my window - a glimpse of what I've been
Somehow they killed the boy I used to be
One magic moment fills my heart with greed
Light in the darkness - see me playing on the fields of summer
I left my childhood sooner than I wanted to
I can't rewind it and I can't live forever and a day
I can't believe it's over
I can't believe it's just a dream
Your life is freezing halfway
You have to learn to be a man
I can't rewind - stop looking back!
Nothing remains...
The song "Just A Dream" by Poverty's No Crime is a poignant exploration of the fleeting nature of childhood and the challenges of growing up. The singer begins by describing how they look into the distance and see a fairytale-like place of pleasure, a fanciful world that represents the unattainable dreams of childhood. However, they also recognize that this world is far from anywhere and that they are no longer the child they once were. They see this as a late encounter, a moment of recognition that the memories of childhood will soon disappear.
As the song goes on, the singer speaks to the sense of loss and nostalgia that accompanies growing up. They cannot believe that their childhood is over, but they know that it is just a dream, something that they cannot return to. The line "your life is freezing halfway, you have to learn to be a man" underscores the stark reality of growing up and the need to embrace adulthood. However, the singer is also aware that they are damned to be much older than they feel and that they will always miss the child they used to be. They see glimpses of their past self out of the window, but they know that this person is gone, that somehow they killed the boy they used to be.
Overall, "Just A Dream" is a powerful meditation on the loss of childhood and the challenges of growing up. It speaks to the sense of nostalgia that we all feel for the golden days of youth, but also underscores the need to embrace adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Into the distance - far from anywhere
Looking out far into the distance, away from civilization and any distractions
I looked into a fairytale, a place of pleasure
Feeling like I'm in a storybook, surrounded by happiness and joy
The child inside me still hungry for the day
My inner child still yearning for fun and adventure
A late encounter - I foresee the memories that will appear
Realizing that this moment will become a cherished memory in the future
I can't believe it's over
Feeling shocked and sad that the good times have come to an end
I can't believe it's just a dream
Questioning whether the happy memories I have are real or just a figment of my imagination
Your life is freezing halfway
Feeling stuck and unsure of how to move forward in life
You have to learn to be a man
Realizing that I need to take responsibility and mature as an adult
I'm damned to be much older than I feel
Feeling older and wiser than my actual age would suggest
And realize the childhood that I leave
Coming to terms with the fact that I am leaving behind the innocence and carefree nature of childhood
Out of my window - a glimpse of what I've been
Looking out of the window and seeing a reflection of my past self
Somehow they killed the boy I used to be
Feeling like I have lost a part of myself and my identity as I've grown older
One magic moment fills my heart with greed
Feeling longing and a desire to capture the feeling of a special moment within my heart forever
Light in the darkness - see me playing on the fields of summer
Memories of happier times shining through during difficult moments
I left my childhood sooner than I wanted to
Feeling like I had to grow up too quickly and leave the carefree nature of my childhood behind
I can't rewind it and I can't live forever and a day
Realizing that I cannot change the past and must learn to embrace the present moment
I can't rewind - stop looking back!
Not being able to change the past and needing to focus on moving forward
Nothing remains...
Feeling a sense of loss and finality as things change and come to an end
Contributed by Madelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.