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Dawn of Solace is one of three active bands where Finnish songwriter extraordinaire Thomas Saukkonnen takes part (besides Wolfheart and Before the Dawn), where he handles multiple instruments and songwriting duties. This has him releasing albums more or less every year under a different banner, all in the vein of melodic death/doom/gothic metal. Dawn of Solace dabbles in the more delicate parts of this mix, with a preponderance of very good, silky clean vocals provided by Mikko Heikkilä, and the occasional harsh backing roars by Saukonnen (who also handles everything else).

This is a very accessible album with tons of melody that should please any fan of gloomy Finnish bands like Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, or Wolfheart. Obviously, if you are familiar with Wolfheart and enjoy them, this can almost be regarded as a slower, more melodic version of that band, as Saukkonnen's riffing, guitar sound, vocals and sense of melody are very recognizable, as perhaps best heard on "Invitation." Heikkilä's gentle voice and clever vocal melodies does a good job of balancing out the general hostilities churned out by Saukkonnen, and makes for nice variation and heaps of singalongability throughout.

While not groundbreaking, Affliction Vortex is a melancholic and enjoyable piece of melodic death/doom and gothic metal that I think most fans of Saukkonnen's music will appreciate. Recommended.