DREAM CYMBALS Crash Cymbal, 18 Inch (DMECR18)

I'm the biggest Dream fanboy this side of the Mississippi so let's get after it.Sound: Unlike the Bliss and Vintage Bliss, the Energy Series is a full-on artillery strike at the end of your stick. These are the heavy hitter Howitzers, not for the faint of heart or those with sensitive hearing. The un-lathed bell will ring for over 15 miles in a straight line and hits you like a fog horn. 5/5Appearance: The majority of the cymbal has pretty tight lathing and hammer marks, much like the rest. They really shine under stage lights where the low spots can refract and be more visible. The un-lathed bell stands in such stark contrast that it really is quite appealing just to look at. 5/5Value: For the price, you could buy two of these for one Meinl or Sabian. They are even cheaper used. 5/5Summary: This is an AMAZING cymbal if you're playing really, really loud music, probably outdoors. If you're at a 3-piece jazz gig in a coffee shop, reach for a Vintage Bliss, but if you're head-lining Wacken Open Air, you'd need a bag of these. They simply cut right through everything and will reach the audience's brain far before your buddy's Mesa Boogie stack will.

I needed a new heavy crash cymbal and wanted something that didn't cost me my paycheck. I love Dream Cymbals, but had a bad experience last time I ordered online, as each cymbal sounds sort of different. I took a chance on this and I really have loved it so far. It came packaged neatly and secure. I will say, this cymbal is a bit thicker than expected. It could definitely be used as a crash / ride. The bell has a better tone than my current Sabian ride. I could describe the sound as dark and resonant. If you're looking for something to cut through everything else and stand out during those heavy crash areas of a song, this will do the trick. The cymbal has definitely held up with my heavy playing and I will be sticking with Dream Cymbals for years to come.

This is NOT the Dark Matter line, just the Energy. Nevertheless this cymbal is unbelievable. Very washy full bodied sound that's not too dark nor is it too bright. Dream knocked it out of the park with this crash!

Great and trashy cymbal!

I don't own this cymbal but used the energy and bliss crashes at a church I used to play for. Absolutely LOVED them. They have a very bright (slight trash) sound to them that are musical and will ALWAYS cut through the mix in a full band setting. My only flaw with them.....after about a year....I did notice them becoming warped a little bit. Not sure if that's from hitting them too hard or if the mounting (wing nuts, posts on the stand, etc) wasn't proper. So if you take extra precaution to make sure they don't crack.... these are some of the most underrated, over looked cymbals money can buy