• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The Heathen Dawn is the seventh full-length from France's Lonewolf and the fourth I've reviewed for The Metal Crypt. Germanic Power Metal is the style, something that hasn't changed since the band started out in the 90s. There is a good mix of speedy numbers driven by double-kick drums ("Demon's Fire" "Rise to Victory") and mid-paced anthems ("Keeper of the Underworld" and the title track) but my favorite is "Until the End." This one has Iron Maiden written all over it from the melodic twin leads to the cool bass lines. The vocals are again melodic and gruff, a la Chris Boltendahl or Glen Metal and the vocal lines are generally conducive to singing along. The songwriting is solid but not as spectacular as on Cult of Steel though far better than The Fourth and Final Horseman, so I'd put The Heathen Dawn squarely between those two. It is full of headbanging fun but falls short of mandatory.