“If you aren’t angry, you aren’t paying attention” – this saying never rings truer than on ‘To Know the Light’. Pulling inspiration from the recent strikes, riots and boycotts that have swept through society, the third offering from Liverpool’s Dawn Ray’d acts as a collection of anthems for the poor, downtrodden and overlooked. It is a call to arms to take back control and fight against those in the world that seek to oppress the working classes.
The cleanly sung “I will be a poison if I cannot be a cure” on ‘Requital’ feels almost revolutionary – there are few anti-establishment acts that hit with quite the same impact. It is reminiscent of Fall of Efrafa’s “we will not go quiet, we will not be restrained, we will not be slaves to an impotent regime” on ‘Republic of Heaven’.
As well as delivering an important message of anti-fascism, Dawn Ray’d are also dishing out some excellent black metal. ‘To Know the Light’ feels much more aggressive than anything they have released previously. Poignant violins and razor sharp tremolo picked guitars still feature heavily, however, the sonic assault that is delivered feels less poignant and more rage induced. Extremely apt, considering the subject matter. An absolutely superb effort and essential listening for black metal fans.
(8/10 Angela Brown)
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