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Review: Dark At Dawn - Baneful Skies
Dark At Dawn
www.dark-at-dawn.de
Baneful Skies

Label: Iron Glory
Year released: 1999
Duration: 48:21
Tracks: 13
Genre: Power Metal

Rating:
4/5


Review online: March 2, 2005
Reviewed by: 4th Horseman
Readers' Rating
How do you rate this release?

Rated 3.4/5 (68%) (10 Votes)
Review

Wait! Don't leave just yet. This is not just another European power metal band. Dark At Dawn have a very unique style that delivers a perfect mix of the melodic power metal passages and the heavy crunch of true metal, coupled with somewhat harsh vocals. Just like thrash or black metal, I'm going to call this "minimalist power metal" as there are only three band members (only the essentials) and virtually no keyboards and these guys get straight to the point without dicking around with a hyper-speed 2 minute, instantly forgettable intro solo like pretty much all generic Europower-metal crap.

"Baneful Skies" was the debut full length for this German trio and it sounds quite similar to their excellent and most recent output "Of Decay And Desire", but the songs on here are more melodic. And any song that has a chick doing the background vocals automatically just slays. There are a few duets on here, and Dark At Dawn are masters of this craft. These aren't the typical beauty and the beast duets. They are just something else, and it is damn good! All of the songs are not instantly catchy however and do take some time, but almost all of them are good. And as usual, I will single out the ballad and point out that it is one of the highlights here. "Dragon Tears" is a lethal ballad with a chorus that fires chills down my spine anytime I hear it. Such a grand and epic chorus results in nothing else but a lasting impression.

This band deserves more recognition than it gets because this type of power metal is really something that needs to take off - dark, crunchy and melodic. What more could one desire from his dose of power metal. Recommended, but their 2003 opus is still a little bit better and catchier.

More about Dark At Dawn...
Review: Baneful Skies (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
Review: Crimson Frost (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
Review: Dark at Dawn (reviewed by 4th Horseman)
Review: Dark at Dawn (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
Review: Of Decay And Desire (reviewed by 4th Horseman)
Review: Of Decay And Desire (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
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