Diary of Dreams’ ‘Ego:X’ turns 15 on 26 August
Diary of Dreams’ tenth studio album “Ego:X” turns 15 this year. The German darkwave act released it via Accession Records on 26 August 2011.
Diary of Dreams‘s tenth studio album, “Ego:X”, turns 15 this year. The German darkwave act released the record through Accession Records on 26 August 2011 in Europe, with a US release following on 11 September 2011 via Metropolis Records.
“Ego:X” arrived in four editions: a regular CD with 14 tracks, an extended digital edition with additional bonus material, a 2xLP vinyl set, and a limited deluxe box housing a two-disc set alongside a 60-page book and hand-signed cards. The album was produced by Daniel Myer together with Diary of Dreams, recorded and mastered at White Room 5, with Rainer Assmann handling mastering and Guido Fricke on pre-mastering and acoustic drum recording. Adrian Hates wrote and performed the material, backed on the album by Dejan, Flex and Gaun:A, who also contributed the painted artwork.
The regular-edition tracklist runs “Into X,” “Undividable,” “Lebenslang,” “Grey the Blue,” “Element 1: Zeitgeist,” “Immerdar,” “Push Me” featuring Amelia Brightman, “Echo in Me (X-Version),” “Splinter,” “Element 5: Resignation,” “Mein-Eid,” “Fateful Decoy,” “Weh:Mut” and “Out of X.” The spoken-word narration threaded between songs was read by Martin Keßler, the German dubbing voice of Nicolas Cage and Vin Diesel. Violinist Ray W. added additional violin on “Undividable” and “Push Me.”
The lead single, “Echo in Me,” was released on 12 November 2010 ahead of the album. “Ego:X” followed Diary of Dreams’ ninth album, “(if),” from March 2009, and the 2010 best-of compilation “A Collection Of…”
About Diary of Dreams
Diary of Dreams is a German darkwave project initiated by classically trained guitarist and pianist Adrian Hates in the late 1980s, taking its name from one of his early classical guitar compositions, “Tagebuch der Träume.” Hates had previously played guitar for Garden of Delight. The first Diary of Dreams album, “Cholymelan,” appeared in 1994 on the Dion Fortune label. Hates then founded his own label, Accession Records, which released the band’s second album, “End of Flowers,” in 1996, followed by “Bird Without Wings” in 1997 and the more experimental “Psychoma?” in 1998.
The compilation “Moments of Bloom” appeared in 1999, reworking tracks from the first three albums. “One of 18 Angels” (2000) and “Freak Perfume” (2002), plus its companion EP “PaniK Manifesto,” pushed the sound toward heavier use of electronic rhythms. The 2004 concept album “Nigredo” drew on a mythology the band designed itself, and songs from its tour were later released on the live album “Alive,” which reached number 2 on the German Alternative Charts. The EP “Menschfeind” followed in 2005, and “Nekrolog 43” in 2007. The ninth album, “(if),” arrived on 13 March 2009, and the compilation “A Collection Of…” followed in March 2010.
“Ego:X,” the tenth studio album, followed the November 2010 single “Echo in Me” and arrived in Europe on 26 August 2011, with the US edition released on 11 September 2011 through Metropolis Records. Diary of Dreams went on to release “Elegies in Darkness” in 2014, “Grau im Licht” in 2015, “Hell in Eden” in 2017, “Melancholin” in 2023 and “Under a Timeless Spell” in 2024, the latter covered previously on Side-Line. The band began its “Dead End Dreams” chapter series on Accession Records with Chapter 1 in September 2025. “Ego:X” marks its 15th anniversary this year.
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