album : Rise of the Phoenix
artist : Before the Dawn
genre : Melodic Death/Gothic Metal
year : 2012
When you drink a solid beer, that tastes exactly like how you had imagined it would be, once, you don’t stop drinking it. That’s how it is. Something along the same lines happened when I first heard Before the Dawn‘s last release Deathstar Rising. I wasn’t fooling around when I said I’d hear their discography and it was Deathstar Rising that forced me to do so. Finnish metal bands sharing their melancholy with the planet is old story now, but how do you present in a way just so it doesn’t sound like it has been done to death? You soak yourselves from head to toe with the negativity and write your music and your lyrics in the same disturbed state. I learnt this rule from Before the Dawn who chose melodic death metal for their outlet without sounding like infinite other bands playing the same genre. Rise of the Phoenix is, without doubt, a slab of bleak melody and features several original compositions where we see the band adding new bits and pieces here and there.
Album number seven for the band, Rise of the Phoenix is a package of twelve tracks which will provide you a respite from all things happening in melo-death at the moment. Heralding a message of trustworthy metal, Before the Dawn barge into your ears through their fresh efforts. You’ll find yourself catapulted into another space, amongst the stars, shining brighter with the songs from Rise of the Phoenix in tow. Adventurous as it may sound, the album is a ride filled with extreme emotions and there are flakes of every genre falling over you.
Confined acoustic strums takes us into the album with Exordium. The first smack comes the moment we get into Pitch-Black Universe. All their other albums start playing in your head because it is the same trademark Before the Dawn sound. Like forever, somewhere along the way our head is teased by the meandering melody. There are brutally honest and abrupt parts on songs like Phoenix Rising, Eclipse and Closure where the pace acts as a topping. Melody that bails you out can be found Cross to Bear, Throne of Ice and Fallen World.
The echo of each song will be left behind, as shrines of desolate thoughts crumble down. This power driven by Tuomas Saukkonen‘s recognizable vocals align everything in line with your mood. Acoustic instruments, piano and slow instrumental sections up the appeal of the record. Rising of the Phoenix is very much closer to many of the earlier works by Before the Dawn, and I would say this album separates out itself from the oft heard melodic death drama and arrives at an acceptable conclusion. The album loses points for having a few ordinary tracks, which probably happened since the band did not take much time in recording this album after having released one only last year.
Before the Dawn is an important band to have come out of the Finnish metal scene, and their tragedy makes for pleasant hearing, not once or twice but each time the band enters the studio. Rad!
Rating : 3.5/5
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