Every now and then something very out of the box pops up here. It’s not that “Ancient Arts” is a very different album that outstands, but it is really something that stands out of the crowd. At least, from everything I’ve heard here. In fact, it’s the combination Dawn of Existence did here that is somehow unusual because there is the harsh vocal with the instrumentals that have a Hard Rock intent. I’ll elaborate. It’s not that the instrumentals are Hard Rock, but they give a Hard Rock impression on whom is listening. The thing is that “Ancient Arts” has lots of variations among the songs being much more than only an Extreme Metal effort. Take “Tides,” for instance with its slow wall of sound with hectic keyboard sound. The track varies the speed a lot going from the slow as hell to faster than the speed of light in seconds. Pay attention to the guitar bends here and there and how they are totally out of the mood of the song. That’s exactly what Dawn of Existence do in all the album to make it on one hand superb and on the other hand curious. The guitars full of wah effects in “Meet Me at the Stake” tell the same story. It’s something as getting Grave Digger’s vocals and mix with elements of Hard Rock and some Gothic Rock as The Cult used to do in “Love” era. The Cult! That’s the reference I was looking for. The gothic elements I saw came from there.
“Marble Garden” opens up the album and my dear child of the night will immeadiately feel that there is something different coming out from the speakers. The guitars phrases come from a Gothic Rock enviroment which combined with a low tuned vocal reminds a lot bands from the 1990s when this kind of combination was common – please, don’t ask me which ones. Vocals then change to get into Grave Digger’s vocals as I mentioned before – Grave Digger is just a reminder for my dear fan. The song is full of keyboards push boundaries a little more to reinforce the Gothic Rock mood. “Toe up” gets a little more Extreme Metal regular with stronger guitars and harsher vocals. A little further the guitars change giving an eerie and somber feeling which is reinforced by the keyboards. The song has lots of mood variations as it goes changing the speed and cadence as well. To this cauldron of experiences and ups and downs “Satan Spacelord” adds some Black Metal features in the guitars, vocals, and drumming making it even more distanced from the usual Extreme Metal we’re used to. “Mystic Serpent” reinforces my idea of the lost link of Grave Digger with The Cult. Yeah, “Ancient Arts” has lots to surprise the fan.
I don’t know you my dear child of the night but I had a very good time with the album and the surprises – to me – that it brings.
Dawn of Existence “Ancient Arts” will be released on May 05th.
Track Listing:
- Marble Garden
- Toe up
- Satan Spacelord
- Mystic Serpent
- Skoda_14
- The Heirophant
- Tides
- Meet Me at the Stake
Watch “Marble Garden” official music video here:
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I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!