When you can hear a lot of potential from a band within the first few minutes of a release, it certainly bodes well for what you can anticipate from the rest of the material and First Dawn are most definitely a band you should keep an eye on if their debut EP Final Epoch is anything to go by.
It’s fairly difficult to earmark them into one specific genre and with influences taken from the Blade Runner soundtrack and Moonsorrow amongst others, it’s clear that First Dawn aren’t afraid of stepping outside of the box and finding their own style by bringing different sounds and ideas together. Indeed, opener Devastation has somewhat of a doomy feel at times, which is certainly aided by the crushing opening wall of guitars, and the more melodic sections give the track a bit of an industrial vibe. It’s an interesting approach and yet it absolutely works.
Later songs switch things up again, with Pilgrimage taking more of an aggressive and energetic approach, with the track more akin to a traditional death metal song, and The Redeemer is almost a mini epic, traversing from a more ambient tone to death metal and then black metal complete with a squealing guitar solo, and there is a sprinkling of melody atop of it all for good measure.
First Dawn are certainly onto a winner with Final Epoch at times it sounds a little raw and unpolished, but that’s something to perhaps expect when it comes to an outfit’s first offering, but one thing’s clear – the future is bright for this up and coming band.
8/10
