I’m really enjoying how 2006 has been playing itself out so far in the metal realm, and I’d say this year has been holding strong even in comparison to the powerhouse year 2005 was becoming at this point about three-hundred and sixty-something days ago. There are already quite a few albums I’d classify as standouts by bands like Katatonia, Spitfire, Wolves In The Throne Room, and Cannibal Corpse, but just barely (and I do mean barely) missing that high mark are Los Angeles, California’s Abysmal Dawn, and their impressive Crash Music debut ‘From Ashes’. For a freshman outing, this is quite an expert-sounding disc in nearly every way, and one that’s sure to appeal to a wide variety of metalheads hungering for new, fresh death metal bands to check out, and it fares well for itself against more established competition.

Overall, Abysmal Dawn fall squarely in the mold of Burning Inside, Immolation, mid-era Death, and the previously mentioned Cannibal Corpse, with a dash of skull-splitting thrash not too far removed from the likes of Kreator and Sodom. The balance between technicality and outright battery is kept firmly in place by bassist Carlos Arriola, drummer Terry Barajas, guitarist Jamie Boulanger, and vocalist/guitarist Charles Elliott, as each of them strategically decimates their instruments with creative use of technical precision, varying time-changes and vocalizations, and a somewhat firm if not inconsistent grasp of fleshing out ambitiously conceptualized song ideas. Hardly original, but certainly ravenously performed, Abysmal Dawn violently stomp on the lines between genres of thrash, death, and black metal to create something accessible but still very tempermental.

Of course, the combination of those three elements are featured in so many bands these days it isn’t even funny, but the selling point with ‘From Ashes’ is the intricate yet punishing musicality displayed by the individual players. Barajas reminds me of Christy and Lombardo with his deft, precise cymbal and tom interplay which often follows closely along the same path as the guitars, as the music flows as one long and unbroken chain of sharply released melody, guttural growling, and liquefying percussion assemblage. This type of musical storytelling sets Abysmal Dawn apart from other less experienced acts, sounding at once professional, focused, and admirably looking for nothing but bone crushing end results. There are flaws, though. The leads are well played if not a bit too understated in the mix, and at times it feels as though the solos take a back seat to the rhythmic segues that run beneath the comparatively docile arpeggios and whammy acrobatics. It makes for a messy, disorganized listen, and a little additional careful tweaking of the dials wouldn’t have hurt.

Some tunes are a little more reserved than others, touching upon brief In Flames catchiness and bounce, but nothing on ‘From Ashes’ is likely to wind up on any MTV compilation anytime soon. It’s cool that this is such a solid album, but the inexperience shows in the sometimes shoddy mix (overproduced, not underproduced), and the notable lack of any standout moments that help to break up the disc a little bit. It’s a common mistake even with veteran bands, as the songs seem to run into series of “parts” after a while. It’s a cohesive album, but it’s almost too cohesive, and it’s aggression somehow falls just short of the bar they set for themselves due to the lack of song identity. You’ll remember that “one fast tune”, those “two kinda’ slower tunes”, and that everything in between jams. Try to pick a specific part out of any given tune that really cranks, and you can do it, but good luck picking out which songs bring the full package, because I sure couldn’t do it.

In closing, I’m going to be keeping an eye out for this quartet of death mongers, because these guys have released an album only a few notches below just about anything on the upper-tier you’re likely to hear at this point for 2006. I really dug this disc, and with a little trimming of some excess filler, and bringing the energy up a few steps, Abysmal Dawn could be serious contenders as time goes on. Only good things lay ahead…

This entry was posted by Dekompoze on Tuesday, 25th April, 2006 at 20:45 and is filed under Reviews, Abysmal Dawn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response below. You may view a   printable version of this page. You may download this page in   PDF format.