Lift The Curse – Don’t Bury The Dream

Lift The Curse
Don’t Bury The Dream
Out: 30. Mai 2025
Playing time: 43:05

Lift The Curse is an American Rock duo. The two musicians come from Texas and California and have been working together for several decades. A deep friendship has developed between them over the years. In April 2022, the two decided to form the band (the project?). Their sound is based on explosive Alternative Rock refrains, hard-hitting riffs, melodic harmonies and anthemic guitar solos. Three albums have already been released in this short time. Album number four, ‘Don’t Bury The Dream’, will follow in May.

‘Dusk And Dawn’ starts with calm, contemplative vocals. The synth staccatos make you fear the worst. But soon it gets hard and loud. Beautiful Rock, as if it could have come from the 80s or 90s. Hard-hitting riffs alternate with calm guitar sounds. There are also occasional growls to be heard. In ‘Fly Or Die,’ loud riffs immediately blast out of the speakers (or headphones). Despite everything, this song also seems very melodic, especially with the powerful, clear vocals. These are contrasted by harsh growls, which are accompanied by distorted guitar riffs. And then there’s also time for a guitar solo. At the beginning of ‘Dead End’, the vocals sound a little muted. But then clear vocal passages prevail. Very catchy, but with hard drumming. ‘Regrets Of A Dying Man’ starts with a slight industrial edge, which is quickly followed by nasty growls for a short time. Once again, beautiful melodies dominate, both vocally and instrumentally. The growls scattered throughout provide a contrast. The basic pattern is maintained in the following tracks. Catchy melodies spread Melodic Rock vibes. However, these are repeatedly enhanced by hard riffs and angry growls. This can also be heard in the mostly melodic ‘As You Were’, the riff-driven ‘Wishing Well’ and the galloping ‘Shadow’. The (semi-) ballad ‘Save Me’ comes at just the right moment. Even if it doesn’t completely dispense with hard riffs and harsh growls. The pace picks up, especially in the second half, before the whole thing ends anthemic and, in parts, calm again. The two songs ‘Violet Violence’ and ‘Direct Hit’ are once again the predominant mix of Melodic Rock, Alternative sprinklings, and hard Metal riffs. And the mix of clear Melodic vocals and harsh growls. The finale ‘Forever And More’ is then a little quieter again.

I’ve already described the sound of the album quite clearly. It’s precisely this diversity that makes ‘Don’t Bury The Dream’ worth listening to. Lift The Curse always get to the point quickly with their songs, none of which are longer than four and a half minutes. This is actually the ideal length for airplay. However, the growls and heavy riffs are somewhat unwieldy at times. This may dissuade some Rock radio stations from including them in their programming, even though they would certainly deserve it. Nevertheless, the predominantly melodic ‘Forever And More’ is ideal for inclusion in radio playlists.

Lift The Curse – Forever And More: https://youtu.be/METfeY4YxSA?si=Ftfx4P3KIb5THunY

Lineup:

Ryan Hegefeld – Vocals, Guitar, Drums
Jon Yadon Jr. – Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals

Track list:

• Dusk And Dawn
• Fly Or Die
• Dead End
• Regrets Of A Dying Man
• As You Were
• Wishing Well
• Shadow
• Save Me
• Violet Violence
• Direct Hit
• Forever And More