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"Sealing the resurrection of Before The Dawn, "Stormbringers" will certainly delight fans of the band and of Finnish melodic death, but remains an album as effective as it is devoid of soul or surprise."
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3/5
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Historically, Before The Dawn is the first band of multi-instrumentalist Tuomas Saukkonen, whom he founded in 1999 and whose adventure came to an end in 2013 after the disappointing, curiously ironically titled "Rise Of The Phoenix". The seven albums they've recorded over the last fifteen years or so, however, have enabled the band to make a name for themselves on the Finnish melodic death scene. And while he announced a few years ago that he wanted to focus solely on Wolfheart, which has become his de facto main home base, Saukkonen has surprisingly reactivated Dawn Of Solace in 2019 and then Before The Dawn in 2021. "Stormbringers" seals this comeback. Will it enable him to recapture the success and inspiration of "Deathstar Rising" (2011), his best work to date?
An undisputed master of the haunting riff, the melody trapped in a layer of frost and dark vocalizations, Tuomas still knows how to compose good, simple, unstoppable, clean songs. He also knows how to surround himself. Lead guitar is provided by Juho Räihä (Swallow The Sun), bass by Pyry Hanski (Red Moon Architect), who guarantee a flawless, unsurprising performance.
Paavo Laapotti's presence behind the microphone is more unusual, however, as he is a finalist in the 2022 edition of the Finnish TV show "The Voice". Many criticized his performance, lamenting the absence of Lars Eikind, the band's singer between 2007 and 2011, who was associated with Before The Dawn's resurrection for a few months before disappearing. However, the newcomer's clear vocals are superb and, if they don't totally eclipse his predecessor, they come off very well.
In the end, the main flaw of "Stormbringers" is its banality. There's nothing on this record that hasn't been heard before, whether on Amorphis ('Destroyer'), Katatonia ('Chains') or any other project by Tuomas Saukkonen, a composer whose writing is as meticulous as it is tried and tested.
Yet the successor to "Rise Of The Phoenix" is solid and enjoyable, a collection of finely chiselled tracks that all hit the mark. It's hard to resist 'Reveries' and its heady bite, 'The Dark' and its equally intoxicating nocturnal ambience, or 'Downhearted' and its icy keyboards. Everything is perfectly arranged, the writing infallible, the performance impeccable.
The fact remains that, despite its undeniable qualities, which will doubtless be enough to satisfy fans of the genre, "Stormbringers" lacks not only originality (which isn't so bad) but above all an extra soul. All in all, a good record that triggers immediate pleasure. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. The Dawn
 02. Destroyer
03. Reveries
04. Downhearted
05. Chains
06. Divided
07. The Dark
08. Chaos Star
09. Chaos Star
LINEUP:
Juho Räihä: Guitares
Paavo Laapotti: Chant
Pyry Hanski: Basse
Tuomas Saukkonen: Guitares / Batterie
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(7) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
-/5 (0 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.5/5 (2 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH BEFORE THE DAWN
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OTHER REVIEWS
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