A Dream Of Poe – Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes

A Dream Of Poe
Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes
Label: Meuse Music Records
Out: 24^th April 2026
Playing time: 45:50

The Symphonic Doom Metal project A Dream of Poe was founded in 2005 in Ponta Delgada (Azores, Portugal) by multi-instrumentalist Miguel Santos. According to Encyclopaedia Metallum, five studio albums have been released to date, though the press release mentions four. In addition, there is one demo, two live albums, two EPs and one single. I’ll go out on a limb and say that ‘Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes’, due out in April, will be their sixth album. Although A Dream of Poe is essentially a solo project, it would not exist without the work of a host of other musicians. Musically, the sound is a blend of the power and melancholy of Doom Metal, opulent orchestral arrangements and literary influences.

Soothing piano notes can be heard at the start of ‘The Wail Of Gaea’. Then the rhythm section kicks in powerfully, pushing the quiet vocals slightly into the background. Strings and electric piano lend a sense of grandeur. ‘The Lament Of Phaethon’ begins with gentle acoustic guitars and strings. Vocalist Kaivan Saraei is more clearly audible, partly because the guitars are kept discreetly in the background. Later, Miguel Santos’s growls can be heard, but these blend seamlessly with the calm and contemplative atmosphere. Ruben Correia’s guitar solo sounds impressively majestic. ‘Lamia’ is then significantly more powerful, but no less soothing. It is characterised, among other things, by violin passages and an epic chorus. With a running time of more than eleven minutes, ‘Exhorting Nightmares’ is a true Doom monster. It begins with an orchestral fade-in, accompanied by a few spoken words. Hard-hitting guitar melodies kick in once more, accompanied by epic choruses. There’s something quite cinematic about it. A few minor shifts in melody and rhythm add a slightly progressive touch. The remaining two songs are sung by João Melo. On ‘The Captivity Of Hesperus’, introduced by a calm bass melody, one can enjoy the darker timbre. Later, the vocals sound somewhat rougher. Epic orchestrations round off the song. The closing track, ‘À Medida de Damastes’, is then sung in the artists’ native Portuguese. For one last time, epic orchestral arrangements are set against the harsh guitars.

It never ceases to amaze me that such sombre sounds can be heard from sunny islands. Following in the footsteps of Malta and Mallorca, the Portuguese Azores now join the ranks. ‘Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes’ has an extremely soothing effect on the listener. Alongside mastermind Miguel Santos, a number of other musicians also make a compelling contribution to this album.

A Dream of Poe – The Captivity Of Hesperus: https://youtu.be/m5v1Tm_9ROg?si=XAzrrpyZlp7aNmzE

Lineup:

Miguel Santos – Growls on “The Lament of Phaethon”, All Instruments except:
Gualter Couto – Drums on “The Lament of Phaethon”
Nuno Carreiro – Bass on “The Lament of Phaethon”
Ruben Correia – All Guitar solos, Violin on “The Lament of Phaethon” and “Lamia”

Kaivan Saraei – Vocals on tracks 1–4
João Melo – Vocals on tracks 5–6
António Neves – Spoken words on “Exhorting Nightmares”

Track list:

• The Wail of Gaea
• The Lament of Phaethon
• Lamia
• Exhorting Nightmares
• The Captivity of Hesperus
• À Medida de Damastes