In combining the brutal, old-school 90s style of death metal with sufficient melodic overtones, Abysmal Dawn delivers an exceptional offering on their Crash Music debut, "From Ashes." As well-executed instrumentation and an appropriate method of production (courtesy of John Haddad, who has turned the knobs on recent releases by Eyes Of Fire and Phobia) combines with the type of songcrafting that sufficiently holds the listeners attention, the result is nothing less than awe-inspiring. While many bands that practiced this style in the late 90s suffered from sameness and a distinct lack of focus, Abysmal Dawn proves to be one of the few of the new crop of extreme acts that possesses the ability to reawaken the classic death metal vibe, while combining that notion with more modern concepts. In doing so, the band comes off as being ten times more credible than your run-of-the-mill "core" outfits that are plugging up the scene like an unattended septic tank.
Formed in December of 2003, following the demise of long-running melodic death / thrash act Inhuman Visions, vocalist/guitarist Charles Elliott and guitarist Jamie Boulanger teamed up with Savagery bassist Carlos Arriola and drummer Terry Barajas. The Los Angeles-based death squad immediately started work on an independently released 2004 demo featuring three tracks, "Blacken The Sky", "Solitude's Demise" and "State Of Mind", all of which make it on to the band's debut album.
Gripping guitar work, multifarious bass rumblings and fully automatic double bass barrages during tracks such as "In The Hands Of Death" prove that the members of Abysmal Dawn are proficient musicians first and foremost, but at no time does their love of the more technical aspects of death metal come into conflict with the primal heaviness that this style of music requires. Elliot and Boulanger make for a formidable axe team, simultaneously issuing thick, meaty chugging and hyperspeed, top-octave rhythms that well complement the speedy beats offered by Barajas. "Wicked Impulse" is an excellent example of the ability of the band when turning out a complex rhythm pattern, while remaining purely savage in execution. The furious guitar onslaught provided by Elliot and Boulanger solidifies the track's impact, cemented by an adept dose of low-end thumping by session bassist Mike Bear.
Unafraid to incorporate elements of doom and black metal into the mix, as the band does on "Solitude's Demise" and the foreboding introduction, "Impending Doom," Abysmal Dawn shows that they have the skills necessary to be as dynamic as any of their peers. Floridian influences abound on this album, with many nods to bands such as Morbid Angel and Death being updated here for the Behemoth generation of death metal aficionados. Wicked imagery by cover artist Par Olofsson captures the spirit of the band's sound perfectly with an original looking piece that sets the tone for the unabashed sonic barbarism you'll find on "From Ashes" and the packaging is nicely rounded out with complete lyrics and band information.
In the final analysis, the only drawback to this overpowering slab of ferocity is its brevity, with the album clocking in at just over a half hour in length. All other factors point to Abysmal Dawn being amongst a mere handful of emerging artists that offer classic brutality with an up-to-date delivery. "From Ashes" should be considered as being mandatory for any true death metal follower, it's sinister, immense wrath delivering exactly what fans of this particular style desire.
- ErinFox
(See reviewer's scoring method)
