“One with Dawn” is a slap in the face of all detractors who think Melodic Death Metal bands are all the same. From what I heard here they couldn’t be more wrong. Fractal Gates managed a way to stand out from the crowd with flying colors making an approach with some sci-fi themes and some 1980’s Progressive Rock. Truth be told, the band wrapped their music with many 1980’s Progressive Rock features including many effects bands as Marillion used to do back then. Add to that gutural vocals and some additional clean vocals one in a while. I have to say I liked very much what I heard here. Interesting info is that the album has 16 tracks, a very unusual number.
The album commences with the very Judas Priest’s “Turbo” era intro called “Visions XIII” with all the synthetized instruments as possible. There is something of Yes’ “90125” as well. I say these albums because there are landmarks of the use of electronic instruments and effects in Rock and Metal music. I admit I was about to quite if the following track didn’t show anything more relevant or enthusiastic. Well, I must say I was very surprise by what I heard with “Shining Fall,” a vigorous Death Metal mixed with the effects aforementioned. Even “Into the Unknown,” the track that mix clean vocals with gutural have a great effect. I have to say that the impression is that “One with Dawn” is the well-dosed mix of “Turbo” and “90125” in a matter of fact. The effect of the gutural voice with the musical wrapping Fractal Gates did here I must say is very impressive. This gets more noticiable with “When the Distance Paints Us” where the guitars use more melody interwoven with the 1980’s Prog Rock. If my dear child of the night closes the eyes while listening to “Visions XIV” the impression it gets is Stranger Things just poped up. What to say about an album that cites Stranger Things? Only great things I guess. Of course, as nothing is perfect in this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet, there is “Earthbound” and its modern Metal mood and vocals that takes the album a little down. Outside this I have to say Fractal Gates and “One with Dawn” are almost perfect.
“One with Dawn” is the kind of album that really impresses the reviewer because it delivers the unexpected. “Half Alive,” fort instance, has the very well-dosed elements of every element Fractal Gates put in their cauldron of influences. It sounds Melodic Death Metal at first, but it delivers much more. The same can be said about the album. It delivers much more than expected for our’s sake.
Fractal Gates “One with Dawn” will be released on April 14th.
Track Listing:
- Visions XIII
- Shining Fall
- Seamless Days
- Into the Unknown
- When the Distance Paints Us
- Earthbound
- Half Alive
- Visions XIV
- One with Dawn
- Hyperstate
- Serenity
- Severance
- Echoing Motions
- Visions XV
- The Eclipse (2024)
- Skies of Orion (2024)
Watch “Seamless Days” official music video here:
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