Germany’s Dawn of Disease released a decent debut in the middle of 2011, an album that boasted Amon Amarth like riffing set against a Kataklysm style rhythm section. This sophomore effort follows the debut very closely but sees the band honing their playing talents to a finer edge, more or less saying this is how we wanted the debut to sound. As with most modern death metal albums an intro is followed by an ear catching riff and a deluge of double kick. As the opening song progresses the band has added some God Dethroned like melody and intermittent blast sections. You know what you’re going to get with this style of death metal, there’s a no frills approach on “Knife Vs Flesh” as the vocals take on a Barney like bellow. The guitar sound shifts to a crust/grind style, something I always enjoy when it’s added to death metal tunes.
Again God Dethroned is easily referenced on “The Unrotten”, though the vocals are far deeper and roaring. The lead is very Amon Amarth which is not a bad thing, though I do have a criticism of the drum sound which is a little clicky for my liking, but the playing adeptness is faultless. The equally catchy “Skinless And Impaled” does what you expect it to do, rips the skin away from your spotty greasy face in one swift movement. Kataklysm is always close by on Dawn Of Disease albums so far, as the band injects that catchy identifiable angle into their songs and none more so than “Enter The Gates”. With so many albums like this around, making yourself standout is extremely difficult though I have no doubt that Dawn of Disease will probably slay live with this type of song writing. I definitely enjoyed “Final Resurrection” with an all out speed assault, but still managing to keep the tune melodious and with a half decent lead the band really is building up a substantial armoury in their song writing. As with most of the bands songs Amon Amarth hangs around like a Viking horn at a mead stall. It makes a change for a death metal band to stay true to their original sound and not degenerate it to what they think the scene punters want to hear.
Whilst this album is unlikely to set the world on fire they have the glowing embers of becoming a formidable raging inferno in death metal, but only if their third album has the capacity to raze to the ground everyone else who releases an album when it comes out. I, for one, am expecting a blazing third album and will be sorely disappointed if I don’t. This is a solid death metal album that will make Amon Amarth, Kataklysm and God Dethroned fans smile inanely.
(7.5/10 Martin Harris)
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