Rusted Dawn

The Black Tides of War

Written by: GR on 06/05/2010 00:09:03

Have you heard enough thrash metal to last you a lifetime? No? That's good, because Canada's Rusted Dawn are here to provide you with some more. This four-piece from the East Coast have been around for about six years and after a couple of self-released EPs and, by the sounds of it, quite a bit of bad luck, they have signed with a label and produced "The Black Tides of War".

The band claim to be influenced by "everything under the sun", an assertion that speaks for their music if you assume the sun in question shines down upon the planet thrash for most of its orbit. It's this style that dominates here, along with a subtle ear for more extreme metal and a bit of hardcore/punk. With an intro track that hints at a political undercurrent to the band's outlook, Rusted Dawn blaze through nine more songs full, for the most part, of unrelenting pace and energy. The headbang-able riffs and shredding solos will be familiar to fans of the genre, as will the guitar tone and overall exuberant vibe. The band never let themselves get stuck in a rut though - sure this isn't wholly original, but it also avoids the pitfall of sounding totally generic and boring. This is mainly due to well written guitar parts, with many catchy sections, tempo shifts and deft melodic touches keeping things interesting.

The vocals of Jeremy Goddard might not be favoured by all; sometimes with a punk-ish delivery, sometimes more of an 'extreme' tone, they are sung with aggression and conviction. At times they can seem at odds with the traditional, more upbeat style of speed/thrash guitar work employed, but ultimately help Rusted Dawn form an identity. Songs such as "Stigmantis", clocking in at just 1:15, show off the hardcore influence that comes to the fore every now and again. Despite this influence, "The Black Tides of War" isn't a crossover album - although I would suggest the band do have plenty of crossover classics in their record collections. You've heard it all before, sure, but Rusted Dawn have put enough of their own stamp on the thrash template, and pulled it off with enough passion and enthusiasm to warrant attention from fans of the genre.

7

Download: Red Collar, Waking Streets, By The Hammer Of Thor
For the fans of: Damnas, Abadden, Battalion
Listen: Myspace

Release date 30.03.2010
Diminished Fifth Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.