Style: Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Evan
Country: United States
Release date: September 10th, 2021
Post-metal is hardly a descriptive genre title. What you would expect, perhaps, and what the genre originated with, is sludge riffs mixed with atmospheric elements from post-rock. What you typically get, however, is sludge riffs mixed with any random genre that’s traditionally softer. One of the popular trends as of late is mixing forms of extreme metal with shoegaze, like the divisive blackgaze. Dawn Fades, on the other hand, takes a more traditional form of post-metal and mixes it with a more traditional form of shoegaze, and produces a surprisingly captivating take on the genre.
I despise saying “band X is band Y meets band Z,” but in this case it is too apt to resist. Dawn Fades is Isis meets Slowdive. Coincidentally enough, I listened to a Souvlaki for the first time just a week before I heard Ode, yet the resemblance, specifically in the softer sections and clean vocals, is striking. Essentially, you get the “sludgey” riffs of Isis in the heavier section, mixed with blackgaze harshes, and the gaze like softer sections with laid back cleans. Overall, these elements fit well enough together to create a persistent atmosphere.
Opener “Dearth” has its moments, but certainly plods on a bit too extensively, even for the genre. Thankfully, it is followed by “Taste,” which is an extremely well focused track, demonstrating Dawn Fade’s dynamics at their best and coming to a hypnotizing concluding riff without overstaying its welcome. “Ode 1” is an interlude, and “Ode 2” effectively mixes soft verses with aggressive choruses, followed by a combination of the two at its conclusion. “Front” is fairly fluidly structured, focusing largely on atmospheric melancholy. “Chains” is a classic post-metal build, enrapturing the listener in its atmosphere before its dramatic and crushing conclusion. Lastly, closer “Turning” is a soft goodbye with that classic gaze sound.
Ultimately, the tracks are effective not only in building an internal atmosphere, but also in creating one that persists throughout the album. The persistent melancholy of the chosen gaze stylings meshes well with the post-metal aggression to meet this goal. Especially worth highlighting is the work of the guitarists, who are clearly quite adept at both styles. The vocals shift well as well, although the cleans may sound a bit too empty, even for gaze.
With the trimming of some excess, both on the metal and gaze fronts, Dawn Fades could easily become an even better band. Additionally, Dawn Fades could do to forge a more unique identity from both its predecessors and contemporaries. Whatever they chose to do going forward, however, Ode is still a worthwhile listen for fans of shoegaze or post-metal.
Recommended tracks: Taste, Ode 2, Chains
Recommended for fans of: Isis, Slowdive, Alcest
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Metal Assault Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook
Dawn Fades is:
– Sam Sherwood (vocals)
– Adam El-Gerbi (guitars)
– Nate Hertweck (guitars)
– Markus Erren Pardiñas (bass)
– Scott Quist (drums)
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