Kev Rowland

When it comes to death metal, most bands either seem to get heavier as their career progresses, stay the same, or go off and do something completely different that is either a major success (Opeth) or disaster (At The Gates). So, it is interesting to hear German band Dawn of Disease trying to do something just a little different. They have been around since 2003, but only really started becoming a solid cohesive unit in 2009, and this is their fourth album. Singer Tomasz Wisniewski is convinced that he is still fronting the same band he always has, and his gruff vocals are very much a trademark, but musically here is a group that in many ways are far removed from what many would consider to be death metal yet also still staying true to the cause.

Yes, there are blastbeats, and yes there are quick passages, but there are also many more that are slow in terms of the genre, and packed full of melody. These guys have been listening more to the likes of Iron Maiden than they have to Cannibal Corpse, and the album is all the better for it. As a whole, this is still incredibly heavy, but with plenty of great tunes and the feeling that here is a band that isn’t afraid to go out on a limb and stretch the genre. They have created an album that will be of interest to those into death metal and also to those who many not normally listen to the genre. True, there are times when they go firmly back to where people may expect them to be (“Akephalos”), but this in itself only reinforces what they are doing on the rest of the album. Overall this is a heavy, melodic, really enjoyable album.