Diary of Dreams

The sonic identity of German ensemble Diary of Dreams stretches across darkwave and gothic rock as well as electro-industrial and future pop territory. Conceived by classically trained guitarist and pianist Adrian Hates, who directs a fluid lineup of supporting players, the project first appeared on record with the intense, theatrical long-player Cholymelan in 1994. Hates promptly established Accession Records, the imprint that has handled every Diary of Dreams release since. Listener interest grew once electronic pulses gained prominence in the music, and a subsequent arrangement with Metropolis broadened the band’s reach throughout the United States. After issuing electro-industrial works such as Freak Perfume (2002) and dark synth pop albums including Ego:X (2011), the group delivered the acoustic album The Anatomy of Silence in 2012. Although they have kept combining robust guitar textures with driving electronic rhythms on later releases like Grau im Licht (2015) and Melancholin (2023), 2024’s Under a Timeless Spell presents orchestral reinterpretations of Diary of Dreams’ best-known material.

Born in Düsseldorf, Adrian Hates drew equally on his classical foundation and the electronic pop breakthroughs of the 1980s when he began recording his own music. He launched Diary of Dreams—named after one of his early classical guitar compositions, “Tagebuch der Träume”—in 1989 and sustained the project while also serving as guitarist for the gothic/darkwave band the Garden of Delight. The debut Diary of Dreams album, Cholymelan, was tracked by Hates and guitarist Alistair Kane and issued in 1994 by Dion Fortune, the same label that released the Garden of Delight’s recordings. Hates next founded Accession Records, which thereafter released all of his band’s output along with material by other industrial, EBM, and synth pop acts such as Haujobb, Information Society, and Assemblage 23. The second Diary of Dreams album, End of Flowers, surfaced in 1996 and was followed by Bird Without Wings in 1997. The more experimental Psychoma?, featuring guitarist Christian Berghoff and keyboardist/backing vocalist Olaf Schäning, appeared in 1998, while Accession supplied an expanded reissue of Cholymelan in 1999. In addition, Moments of Bloom—containing revised versions of earlier songs plus previously unreleased tracks—became the band’s first American release through leading industrial label Metropolis Records.

Diary of Dreams introduced stronger dance rhythms on club-focused albums such as One of 18 Angels (2000) and Freak Perfume (2002). Dream Collector, a set of remixes and rarities originally prepared for the South African market after the group toured there, arrived in 2003. The more conceptual and less dance-oriented Nigredo followed in 2004, succeeded by the 2005 EP MenschFeind and the concert album Alive. Live DVD Nine in Numbers appeared in 2006. Nekrolog 43, one of the band’s most emotionally and musically varied albums, surfaced in 2007. Diary of Dreams released its ninth studio album (if) in 2009 and produced its first music video for the song “The Wedding.” The 2011 full-length Ego:X was issued in multiple editions with differing track listings. The compilation Dream Collector II and The Anatomy of Silence, consisting of acoustic renditions of catalog highlights, both appeared in 2012. Hates and longtime Diary of Dreams guitarist Gauna released a self-titled album under their industrial project .com/kill in 2013.

Elegies in Darkness, the eleventh Diary of Dreams album and a return to a heavier sound, emerged in 2014. It was followed by the similarly dark and driving Grau im Licht in 2015 and the second live album reLive in 2016. Hell in Eden appeared in 2017, and Hates formed Coma Alliance with Torben Wendt of labelmate Diorama, releasing their debut Weapon of Choice in 2018. After an unusually extended break for the prolific band, Diary of Dreams returned in 2023 with the intricate and dramatic full-length Melancholin. The lineup for that effort included Hates, Dejan Nikolic, Felix Wunderer, and Hilger Tintel. Diary of Dreams revisited its catalog in an acoustic setting for a second time with 2024’s Under a Timeless Spell, an orchestral collaboration with die Philharmonie Leipzig.