East Temple Avenue – 'Living in my Dreams'

For those of you who have somehow missed the band’s melodic rock journey of the last few years, it would be prudent to provide a reminder of the stellar cast of musicians involved in this project. East Temple Avenue consists of members of Australia’s The Darren Phillips Project (Darren Phillips - rhythm guitar, Dan Skeed – synth/lead rhythm) and European melodic rock collectives Cruzh (Dennis Butabi Borg – bass, Philip Lindstrand – lead guitar) and Work of Art (Herman Furin – drums). The line-up is completed by US-based singer Robbie LaBlanc, vocalist for Find Me and Blanc Faces. It’s a strong band of talented musicians with a wealth of experience in the genre and it really shouldn’t have been a surprise when their debut album and follow up single were as strong and enjoyable as they were.

So, it’s with all of the above in mind that I review the band’s latest single, ‘Living in my Dreams’, co-written by Darren Phillips and Chrisse Olsson from Swedish glam metal/hard rock band Crazy Lixx. Released earlier this week, the single is available initially through East Temple Avenue’s Bandcamp page for the bargain price of $2 (between £1.17 and £1.69 depending on whether its Australian or US Dollars), which is ridiculously cheap when you consider it comes in uncompressed FLAC, meaning the music can be heard exactly as the band intended. But is it worth parting with your hard-earned cash now or should you simply wait until it’s available for free on the usual streaming platforms further down the line?

Starting with a Herman Furin drum-roll and a slightly distorted and distant sounding guitar, there’s an immediate Hysteria-era Def Leppard vibe to the intro… but that’s where the similarities to Sheffield’s finest ends, as a catchy, melodic lead guitar riff takes over, complemented by a bassline that you’ll struggle not to involuntarily tap your feet to by Dennis Butabi Borg. The first verse introduces Robbie LaBlanc’s voice to the song, in which he attacks the lyrics more aggressively than normal but with just the right amount of power and control; exactly what the musical accompaniment demands from him as there’s a slightly darker feel to the verse than the melodic intro. But there’s more than just LaBlanc’s great voice going on in the verse, with some brilliant lead guitar work heard lower in the mix.

As the track heads towards the chorus, a layer of Dan Skeed’s synth/keyboard appears to lift the vibe as LaBlanc exclaims “giving up ain’t something that we came here for”; perhaps a nod to East Temple Avenue’s work ethic and determination to succeed in a changing musical world? Perhaps not but either way, he sings it like he means it and it’s a great way to lead into one of the most melodic choruses I’ve heard this year. La Blanc’s voice soars to the highest notes flawlessly with some superb backing vocal arrangements in the background that complement the lead vocals without overpowering them. Butabi Borg’s bass dances to Furin’s solid drumbeat and it’s inconceivable that each member of the band didn’t have a huge smile on their face whilst recording this.

The catchy lead guitar riff from the intro leads the song from the chorus into the second verse which is musically the same as the first but arguably sang with even more gusto and attack than before. As the second chorus ends, there’s an interesting bridge section that initially appears to be a slight departure in musical direction with some screeching guitar work by Philip Lindstrand that eventually leads to a more recognisable guitar solo built around the original riff. It’s a wonderful moment of melodic rock guitar soloing that harks back to the glory days of the genre! The track ends with the magnificently melodic chorus as La Blanc tells everyone “It’s like living in my dreams” with a loud “yeah” thrown in for good measure! Brilliant stuff!

Having reviewed all of East Temple Avenue’s releases in the past, I feel that this track could represent a new era for the band. It’s still undoubtedly East Temple Avenue and it would still fit very well with the other tracks on their debut album. But there’s just something harder edged and more urgent sounding about ‘Living in my Dreams’. Living in different continents and recording parts separately could mean it has taken time for the musicians to get to know one another’s strengths but on this track, it feels as if they’ve been unshackled from the chains of long distance recording and have gelled to perfection, creating a song where each musician has simply decided to rock like their life depends on it!

This is, quite frankly, a perfect melodic rock song that deserves to be heard by a wider audience. So, free that $2 from your wallet and download ‘Living in my Dreams’ from East Temple Avenue’s Bandcamp page immediately! If you haven’t already done so, check out and purchase their other releases while you’re there and who knows… maybe, just maybe… the band members might come together some day for the first live performance of their songs. Fiendfest 2023 anyone????