The Pitch: The third album from industrialized, symphonic black metal act, Dawn of Ashes, through Metropolis Records and produced by Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh. FFO Dimmu Borgir, Watain, Cradle of Filth
What I Like: My primary complaint of this band's previous album, Theophany, was that it had too many of the "scene" hallmarks of groups like Motionless in White. That aside, their music shows a lot of promise and it feels as though their time with Mick Kenney has led to a more mature sound. Much of the veneer has been stripped away on Daemonolatry Gnosis, creating something that feels more cohesive. The industrial elements have been greatly toned down, though they are still present in the guitar tone and occasional electronic breaks. But for the most part, this feels like a symphonic black/blackenened death metal album with an emphasis on soul-slaughtering vocals and epic orchestral arrangments.
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, with these changes comes some new problems. Whereas Theophany felt positively vicious during its high points, Daemonolatry Gnosis never gets far beyond showing its teeth. There are certainly moments, like the climax of "Guardians," but for the most part things start to feel a little flat; as if instead of elevating the lower quality material up to their best work, they compromised by simply meeting in the middle.
The Verdict: A solid symphonic black metal album that proves Dawn of Ashes have high musical aspirations and heavy interests in the more extreme corners of the genre, but also one that loses some of its oomph along the way. Stream it early HERE.
Flight's Fav's: Guardians, I Am Nephilim, Core of the Black Sun