Before the Dawn

Hinayana – Shatter and Fall Review

By Dear Hollow on November 19, 2023 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 10 comments

“We’ve been waiting for this for years. With only 2020 EP Death of the Cosmic to tide us over from Hinayana’s excellent 2018 debut Order Divine, which received the TYMHM treatment from the great and mighty Dr. Wvrm, it has been a dry spell. The Austin, Texas quintet’s sound lends itself to the melodic death/doom, notably Finnish, melancholy of Insomnium or Swallow the Sun, but with tight songwriting and a patient unfolding through relentless plodding of Amon Amarth, Order Divine became a bit of a sleeper hit for 2018. Featuring a tight and concise bite that will soothe your soul before forcing you to spit out broken teeth, will you invite follow-up Shatter and Fall’s slow-motion beatdown?” Soundtrack to Fall or stumble and fall?

Before the Dawn – Stormbringers Review

By sentynel on June 26, 2023 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 20 comments

“There’s a group of Finnish melodeath bands that put out a run of absolutely fantastic albums in the early days of AMG: Amorphis, Barren Earth, InsOmnium Gatherum, and of course Before the Dawn. This was a hugely formative time for my music taste, and all those records stick with me over a decade later.” Return of the Dawn.

Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition Review

By Steel Druhm on January 27, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 43 comments

“Dawn of Solace’s 2020 sophomore platter of sadboi goth-doom, Waves ended up my top album that year, surprising even me. It had heavy competition to be sure, but throughout 2020 the album kept its sullen tendrils wrapped tight around my iron lungs, and in the end, it became the soundtrack to a strange period of quarantine, unease, and uncertainty. I suppose this shouldn’t have been a surprise as I’ve long been a sucker for the kind of unhappy tidings Tuomas Saukkonen churned out in projects like Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon, and Dawn of Solace is the ultimate vehicle for his weepy ideations. Third album, Flames of Perdition was originally slated for a 2021 release but got pushed back to this week, giving me much more time than I usually have with a promo.” Mourning in the morning.

Dawn of Solace – Waves Review

By Steel Druhm on January 22, 2020 in 2020, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Noble Demon, Reviews, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 62 comments

“As a big fan of Tuomas Saukkonen’s Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon projects (R.I.P. to both), I was the natural demographic for his melancholy melodeath vehicle, Dawn of Solace as well. 2006s The Darkness was a beautiful and haunting dose of Finnish gloom that made an impression, and I always wondered why he never released another album under that name. Now in 2020 he finally delivers the followup outing titled Waves.” Surfing blues.

Dying Embers – Where Shadeless Dwell Frozen Review

By GardensTale on March 5, 2019 in 2019, Austrian Metal, Black Sunset Records, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 35 comments

“In the mid-00’s, I was just starting to dip my toes into the realms of metal. Maybe it was just the entry point I had with Children of Bodom, but there were a slew of bands that were called melodic death metal, but like a Scooby Doo villain, turned out to be power metal with some harsh vocals, some of them adding some cues from Gothic metal to seem a little darker. Bands like Eternal Tears of Sorrow or Before the Dawn went over well with pubescent me, with their straightforward, Maidenesque guitar harmonies and gloomy veneer. Dying Embers fall in this category as well, being tagged melodic death metal, and instead molding bits of Gothic and growls onto a mid-paced power metal album with the unwieldy title Where Shadeless Dwell Frozen. Time to feel like a teenager again.” Drama Club metal.

Ethereal Darkness – Smoke and Shadows Review

By Steel Druhm on February 18, 2019 in 2019, Belgian Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 81 comments

“Ethereal Darkness arrives here today not because some fast talking, over promising PR firm submitted the promo while breathlessly proclaiming it the next big thing. It’s here because the mysterious and unnamed man behind this solo project submitted it to us via our contact form and the music did all the talking from there. Operating out of the shadows of Belgium, Smoke and Shadows is the act’s debut, featuring a kind of melodic death mixed with black metal and sadboy overtones.” Smoking darkness.

Fractal Gates – The Light That Shines Review

By Master of Muppets on May 16, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, French Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Rain Without End records, Reviews, Space Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Space Metal, 99 comments

“Fractal Gates have been on my radar since a certain simian scribe o’ Steel introduced me to Enshine, one of several solid acts featuring Fractal Gates’ Sébastien Pierre. While Enshine sees Sébastien’s screams set to some sweetly soaring and seriously expressive string work, the dudes we’re discussing deal in dirtier, deathier depths of metal. Space-death, as it were, or something to that effect.” Good gates make good neighbors.

Stass – The Darkside Review

By Dr. Wvrm on September 16, 2017 in 2017, International Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 36 comments

“Eating, or looking for things to eat. Boning down, or looking for people to bone down with. Shitting, or looking for music to shit on. The angry metal life devotes countless hours to these simple activities. How Rogga Johansson makes time for even one of these is a mystery. Metal Archives lists The Darkside, the debut of Stass, his project of the month with Crematory’s Felix Stass, as his 11th release of 2017.” No rest for the Rogga.

X.Kernel – Face the Truth Review

By Dr. Wvrm on July 7, 2017 in 2017, Cimmerian Shade Recordings, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Ukrainian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 42 comments

“How do you feel about keyboards? Do you like ’em gloomy and atmospheric? Synthy and cheesy? Perhaps the classic piano flavor does it for you. Whatever your tastes, X.Kernel have got you covered. Their debut Face the Truth follows eight long years of melodic rumination and, if the album art can be believed, enough Phoenix Wright to cause nightmares.” Keys to the kingdom.

Wolfheart – Tyhjyys Review

By Steel Druhm on February 28, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Black Metal, Death Metal, 20 comments

“Whenever Tuomas Saukkonen releases something there’s a certain amount of buzz in the filthy underbelly of metal. When he had Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon running simultaneously, he released a staggering amount of high-quality melo-death steeped in Finland’s biggest export – melancholy. After folding both well-regarded acts and creating Wolfheart, things seemed to take a few steps backward quality-wise.” Have you found the secret that I have lost?