Search - Black Dawn :: Blood for Satan

Almost pretty good...

Michael E. Mitchell | Minocqua, WI USA | 04/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is Black MeTal. Not "necro", or "symphonic", or "viking", or anything other than just plain ol' Black MeTal. And that ain't so bad! Musically, adept listeners will be able to discern an odd Deicide influence, though Black Dawn doesn't really sound like them. Just some of the arrangements and some of the vocals have that flavour. The vocals themselves are approximately a mid-range BM sneering, spiteful scraping, perhaps akin to wee Dani Filth's mid-range, or at times reminiscent of certain Enthroned material. The guitars are VERY high in treble, and are quite ripping. The drums and bass keep up a "steamhammer" sound of constant clanking. Often, there are cool "explosive" parts inside the songs which add to the appeal of the album. The production is quite good (if a lot of treble doesn't bother you). The songs themselves don't really have much to set them apart; they run the gamut of tempos and riff-types. There are samples interspersed, some effective and some you think to yourself "hmm, didn't they ever hear the OTHER 42 bands that have used THAT sample?" What brings them down to "average", however, is the SUPER-ridiculous posturing and propagandizing intended to convince us just how supremely EVIL this band is. Which, in the end, can NOT be taken seriously, even by a little kid! I wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but it does warrant a bit more than 3, so I gave 'em a bonus for the album cover! Speaking of which, the version I got is on the now-defunct Necropolis; subsequent pressings have the band's name as "The True Black Dawn"."

Eh.

P. Walczak | 03/10/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just looking at the cover art, you know what you're in for: an LP filled with satanic songs and grotesque lyrics (which suck, unfortunately).



On the wider scale, Black Dawn isn't anything too special. But in comparison to other underground black metal bands, they aren't half bad. The music is overall pretty heavy, the vocals are intense and chaotic, and the production is surprisingly good for an underground metal band.



On a larger scale though (as I mentioned before), there isn't too much that makes Black Dawn stand out.

The instrumentals are generic in contrast to other BM (black metal) bands and sound a lot like related underground bands.

The lyrics are also laughable at times. Mostly it sounds as if the band spent a total of five minutes coming up with the lyrics for each song.

Also, the whole Satanic bit gets to seem a bit forced- as if they are trying way too hard to get the point across to their listeners that they are hardcore Satanists and hate God with every ounce of their being, ect. It gets old after awhile, and honestly isn't very original (If you're like me and dislike how bands like Black Dawn do this, check out Immortal. They have a more respectable way of getting that similar message across without sounding cliché.)

And the last thing: After awhile, the songs start to become monotonous. They're not so alike that you can't tell whether you have CD player on rotate or not, but they are very comparable at times...and it gets tedious after awhile.



Overall, this CD was mediocre. Definitely not something I'm completely excited about, but not something that is completely horrible. Check it out if you're a fan of chaotic, somewhat generic, and Satanic underground black metal. If you're into symphonic, technical, or melodic black metal, I don't think this is what you're looking for.

"