I have to be completely honest. Listening to a metal album can be really tiring. Some albums feel like we can just remix each song because they all sound the same, but The Dawn Razor’s latest album, ‘In Sublime Presence’, is, for me, an exception. Join me as I discuss this LP in length and read why this album is in my top easy listen category.
‘Point Nemo’ started with this triplet feel, distorted guitar chug with a pinch of harmonics in each last section that got me hyped ultimately, and to my surprise, when the bass line came in, the tone was heaven-sent. It sounds like it was compressed to the nines.
It’s not buried in the mix and can be heard clearly. I have to give props to the bass riff as well. It works perfectly with that chuggy guitar riff and that progressive drum pattern. The chorus hook is short but works well. It’s a clear testament that you don’t need a lengthy chorus hook. A few catchy phrases should and would always work.
‘Refuse Tomorrow’ cemented The Dawn Razor’s identity by giving us a mix of death and black metal vibes due to the guitar riff that works perfectly with that progressive but clean drum progression. The overall sound and feel of the track is moshpit-ready, which I’m sure fans will surely love and appreciate.
‘The Wooden Idol’ feels and sounds like it can potentially be a soundtrack to a movie or an entrance theme song of a fighter because of the buildup created in the intro. It started with this melodic minor guitar riff, then as the song progresses, it gets heavier and heavier, giving this ‘ready to fight’ feel to the track.
And to be honest, the whole track did not disappoint at all. When the vocal screams came in, it shifted to a different genre, which is surprisingly awesome. From that theme song-ish vibe of an intro transitioning to that death metal feel, it keeps me on my toes for sure.
‘Fiery Dawn’ wasted no time and gave us that stanky face blast beats on top of that deep and rich chuggy guitar tone that sounds exciting to hear live. As an indie artist myself, listening to an album is a great experience, but listening to an album you binge-listen to live is even a greater and fun experience.
I’m not sure if it’s me, but there’s a revolving guitar riff in the first few bars of the track that sounds and feels like a major riff. For context, A minor note sounds sad or angry, but a major note feels happy and jaunty, so to have a riff that sounds happy inside of a song that was supposed to sound angry is like seeing Bigfoot. It should never work, but these guys are skillfully mad at their respective instruments that music theory bent over to their will.
‘The Lord and the Crow’ is another example of that track that sounds and feels like a soundtrack to a movie because of the setup from the intro to the ending. The tracks juggles from death metal to alternative due to the heaviness of each section. You can hear the discipline and the effort put into creating each song. It has that ‘The Dawn Razor’ touch to it, but each track is never the same.
‘Chiaroscuro Italiano’ is a perfect example of hearing what light and dark should be based on its meaning. The clean vocals represent light, and the vocal scream represents darkness, which is layered in that technically proficient track that sounds dark but sounds clear because of how clean ‘The Dawn Razor’ executed each section.
By this stage, we already know how perfectly capable these guys are, and ‘Tropical Survival’ was as astonishing as the previous tracks. I specifically like that syncopated pattern that’s revolving all throughout the track.
‘A Change of Heaven’s Mandate’ was a breath of fresh air because ‘The Dawn Razor’ used a sample in the beginning of the track, creating a war cry feel to the overall track. ‘Untouched Boundaries’ is in that experimental grey area of the album. Even though it’s experimental, it still has that ‘The Dawn Razor’ sound.
And ending the LP, we have ‘Pico da Neblina’, which is an instrumental track. I felt like they just had to add it in as the last song of the LP to help listeners like me calm down after all the face-melting arpeggios and blast beats.
The Dawn Razor’s LP, ‘In Sublime Presence,’ is by far the easiest listen that I’ve had this year. It was no secret that these guys are technically gifted and have a knack for great music. It’s an album that is easy to recommend because of its rich vocabulary of sub-genres that will leave listeners wanting more.
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About the Author
He has been in the music industry for two and a half decades. Currently, he plays bass guitar for a rock-reggae band called EnjointPh and a funk-fusion trio called Banky. He also hosts a podcast titled Usapang Musiko with Ervin Besana, which explores topics such as music, arts, and philosophy.
