Desert Near The End – The Dawning of the Son
Desert Near The End – The Dawning of the Son
Boersma Records
Release Date: 27/05/2022
Running Time: 42:39
Review by Rory Bentley
7.5/10
We get a fair few releases from the sun-kissed shores of Greece in the Ever Metal inbox, normally of a high standard and adorned with some superb album artwork and offering an interesting take on an established genre. I don’t know what it is about the Mediterranean climate that produces quality Heavy Metal but if I keep getting bands like Desert Near The End in my inbox I’m gonna have to stick a few obnoxious holiday shirts (you mean normal Diceratops stage wear? – Dark Juan) in my bag and hit up Sky Scanners to see what it’s all about first hand. And eat a shit load of feta.
“The Dawning of the Son” smacked me round the chops from the moment I hit play with its skilful fusion of Thrash and Extreme Metal, with what I shall henceforth term the ‘good bits’ from Power Metal. By ‘good bits’ I mean rousing, swaying choruses, thundering pace and soaring, melodic guitar leads. My first take was Blind Guardian on steroids but this doesn’t give the full picture.
There is a Death Metal attack to the songs here, perfectly exemplified in the opening duo of ‘Break The Chains’ and ‘Rise for Dominion’, where traditional Metal and all its palatable catchiness is played with such ferocity and venom that even the most stone-faced Trve Metal lad with a t-shirt bearing a logo that looks like the time I had to trim my neighbour’s intrusive tree branches couldn’t help but register a nod of approval.
In fact outside of Kreator, I don’t recall hearing a balls out Thrash band able to walk the tightrope of pit-destroying riffs and (drinking) horn-raising battle anthems so effortlessly. There are parts like the warpspeed tremolo and blastbeat section of ‘Obsidian Angel’ that sound at home on an icy Nordic fjord, yet there’s always an epic lead line that erupts from the melee to add some polish and grandeur without cancelling out the absolute filth that’s gone before it. I’ve heard so many bands attempt this trick this year without sticking the landing, normally taking me out of the cauldron of searing extremity and wiping the glass-shitting expression off of my scowling face to the point where it just feels like I’ve gone from barrelling down the highway with the top down to being stuck in traffic on my commute.
Vocally everything is totally on point here as well. There’s a touch of Hansi Kürsch at his most agitated here mixed with the razor-throated percussive enunciation of Mille Petrozza that perfectly traverses the Power and Extreme poles that the band forge together (presumably in steel). As somebody that is a fussy eater with Metal vocals, this makes my job a whole lot easier.
Although the runtime is relatively tight, I did find myself flagging a little towards the final few tracks despite ‘Beyond The Gates’ finishing the record with panache and a gut-wrenching scream. Everything on here is well-executed and the band never stops giving it both barrels, but a little more judicious editing here and there and variety of pace would really take this to the next level.
With that being said it’s difficult not to be immensely impressed by this bubbling cocktail of styles and the top tier musicianship on show and overall this one comes highly recommended. A few nips and tucks here and there and a heavier focus on streamlining those choruses and Desert Near The End have a great shot at reaching the bigger audience their music deserves.
‘Rise For Dominion’ Official Lyric Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Break the Chains
02. Rise for Dominion
03. A Wolf Amongst Lions
04. Iron Rain
05. I am Hell and Hell is Me
06. Wound My Way
07. Obsidian Angel
08. Beyond the Gates
LINKS:
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