Darkness Before Dawn
King’s To You ()
Wydane przez Bombworks Records/Infinite Metal PromotionsRok wydania Kraj USANapisał Wouter5
This act from Glendale, Arizona is one of the more interesting units of Christian metal specialist label Bombworks Records along with A Hill To Die Upon. The name is apparently taken from a young adult novel by Sharon M. Draper which was published in 2001. Their style is a sort of hybrid of technical, melodic and brutal sections of the death metal genre with some minor symphonic elements. The melodic parts remind of classic Gothenburg acts Dark Tranquillity and mid-era In Flames (up to “Whoracle”), the technical parts aren’t quite on par with any established California death metal act but are laudable. They do tend to bludgeon the listener and despite the obviousness of a structural formula these cuts don’t miss their mark. The vocals are a semi-grunt/shout that is closely related to metal- and deathcore and while the band’s logo is obviously of the despised –core variety, the rest of their musical package is thankfully not. The symfo elements are kept to a minimum and never overpower their metallic counterparts. Sameness is this record’s biggest flaw, while all tracks are executed up the expected standard they all tend to bleed together once you’re past the halfway mark. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this record but one can’t shake the perception that there are other bands out there who have done this earlier, better and without any trendy (looming but still apparent) core stylings. “King’s To You” is a serviceably heavy and abrasive record, although the band’s songwriting formula is becoming apparent about halfway through the record. Other than that Darkness Before Dawn should hire a scene mainstay to re-imagine their logo and get high class digital artwork by masters such as Raymond Swanland, Mattias Norén, Toshiro Egawa, Pär Oloffsson or Wes Benscoter. Overall “King’s To You” is a functional, inoffensive record that will sit well with the Christian/melodic metal crowd. Others will probably find this too familiar sounding to get too excited over it.
www.bombworksrecords.com
